Current version is 3.0.8, see videolan.org
from https://wiki.videolan.org/Midi/:
"""
VLC media player can play Standard MIDI File (.MID) and RIFF MIDI (.RMI) files since version 0.9.0.
Windows binary builds included MIDI support only in versions VLC media player from 1.1.0 through 2.0.8. Starting from version 2.1.0, support was dropped due to security issues. It was re-activated in VLC 3.0.0.
…
Linux
If the FluidSynth codec is not shown in VLC's preferences, you have to install it as well as sound fonts. E.g. on Ubuntu 18.04 and derivatives it is in the vlc-plugin-fluidsynthpackage, while the fluid-soundfont-gs and fluid-soundfont-gm packages install some sound fonts in /usr/share/sounds/sf2.
"""
> 7.7 VLC from the usual sources does not work (in fact crashes some updates).
> 8.0 VLC is not available.
Don’t know where those come from.
Greetlings, Hraban
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fiëé visuëlle
Henning Hraban Ramm
https://www.fiee.net