Noise 1. Opera

At the end of 2008 Malta's Prime Minister, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, announced to a bemused and astonished electorate that he planned to build a Parliament in place of the bombed out Opera House building in Valletta. This is Europe's most visible World War Two bomb site at the entrance to Valletta.
Ian Waugh

I have performed at many opera houses which are not as big as the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden or New York's Metropolitan Opera House, but still do a very good job of sustaining big productions. I think more studies need to be carried out to ascertain whether the footprint is indeed not suited for a modern-day theatre.
Joseph Calleja

"The numbers are simply not there!"
Dr Fenech categorically stated that whoever said Malta needed another opera house did not know what they were talking about, referring to them and their opinions as "hullabaloo".
Dr. Peter Fenech

The national theatre is not there to make profit but to serve the people irrespective of the cost.
Kenneth Zammit Tabona

The Malta Library and Information Association (MaLIA) issued a press release last month proposing that this site is developed into a Cultural Centre that should include a state-of-the-art public library, among other facilities.
MaLIA

To put Parliament there would be a clear option for The City as a museum rather than for Valletta Alive, since Parliament requires a building with severely restricted entry and even more stringent security precautions than those which have impeded St James Cavalier from making use of its splendid roof space (because of proximity to the Prime Minister's office).
Fr Peter Serracino Inglott

I truly appreciate what Fr Peter has done for the arts and culture and I fully understand his line of thinking that Valletta can only be revived in the evenings through cultural activities; on the other hand, there is simply nowhere else to put our Parliament.
Ray Bondin

Plainly speaking, I don’t agree that the Parliament should be shifted to the entrance of the city. A parliament in this location would contribute to the death rather than to the revival of the image and life of Valletta as a capital city.
Victor Galea

Given that nobody seems content to let the others get away with a parliament house, a museum of modern art, an opera house, a national theatre, and now even a public library, we run the risk of being left with the one thing that will offend no one: nothing.
Daphne Caruana Galizia