Michelle Scicluna

 

How were you introduced to your instrument?

My uncle introduced me to the double bass when I was 11 years old. I was already learning the piano and the cello but when I started taking bass lessons I immediately fell in love with this bulky instrument with warm and rich tones :)

 

Who are some of your favourite composers, musicians and bands from the past and present?

My favourite composer ever was and will always be Beethoven and when I was younger I was obsessed with Jacqueline du Pre who was a famous cellist. However, nowadays I like all the musicians who put their soul into their music playing and who are able to build an intimate relationship with their instrument. I am not impressed with virtuosity at all but with warmth, passion and real musicianship...Past bands I loved were (are) Guns and Roses (yeah I was a bit of a rocker), Nirvana and Metallica.

 

Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?

I don’t have any in particular in mind because there are too many however when I saw the word ‘song’ in the question Four last Songs of Richard Strauss came to mind because they always manage to move me deeply.

 

What has been your most memorable musical experience?

When I heard the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra live...I felt like in heaven.

 

What’s a typical day like for you?

Well I wake up at 6 am, prepare school lunches, uniforms, hairstyles then finally have some breakfast and prepare myself for work.  Usually I leave home at around 8. After work I cook and put some things in place because my house always looks as if a tornado just hit it!! When my husband comes from work and the girls from school we always have lunch together. Then I either go back to work or drive my daughters to their music lessons or theory lessons or sports or the museum or to their friends’ house, then I practise a bit with them or we chill out together and give them something to eat for dinner; after they sleep I like to read or watch a good movie or practise some difficult passage from the orchestra repertoire ...that is a typical day...sometimes I have a party or an outing but that is not the norm.

 

How would you describe your perfect day?

That would be going for picnic or for a long walk in the country side with my daughters.

 

What would your friends say they appreciate the most about you?

That I am very honest, down to earth and extremely loyal.

 

What is your most valued material possession?

My instruments.

 

Who were you, or would you be nervous to meet?

Oh I would be very, very nervous to meet some famous musician like Boguslav Furtok for example (he is one of the best bassists in the world) because I am totally in awe of great talent in all spectrum of the arts...basically I would be nervous to meet real artists.

 

If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would that place be?

In Xlendi (Gozo) having wine near the sea.

 

Is there something you would like to do more of in the future?

I surely want to travel to exotic countries but not as a tourist but as part of their community.

 

Outside of music, tell us about one of your favourite things to do.

I love to read good books, not the soppy novels because they get on my nerves but good stories with a deep message that touches your core when you really understand its meaning...like Murakami...I love his books because I always learn something new and always get to see things from different perspectives thus widening my horizon when I look and ‘see’.