The multicultural melting pot of Malta is home to the Malta International Music Festival, a major cultural event hosted annually by this Mediterranean island nation. One of the Festival’s most memorable concerts – the one recorded here – took place in 2017: a Trio Gala programme for which the well-known Khachaturian Trio as well as five other brilliant musicians – formed into trios (and one duo) – performed a dazzling array of varied and highly appealing music.

The programme includes both well-known and novel music by Maltese composers Joseph Vella and Alexey Shore; also Uzbekistan native Ilya Dimov. Highlights include a brilliant rendition of Khachaturian’s world-famous Sabre Dance in a version for piano trio, the sublime Andante from Arno Babadjanian’s Piano Trio, and a breathtaking performance of the much-loved Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia for violin and cello.

In addition to the Khachaturian Trio, the distinguished performers include a number of well-known artists, predominantly from Armenia and Russia.