Charles CAMILLERI (1931-2009)
Piano Concerto No. 1 Mediterranean (1948, rev. 1978) [28:45]
Concerto for Accordion and String Orchestra (1968) [14:25]
Malta Suite (1946) [17:11]
Charlene Farrugia (piano); Franko Božac (accordion)
Malta Philharmonic Orchestra/Miran Vaupotić
rec. Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, Malta, 2014. DDD
NAXOS 8.573373 [60:21]
This is my first encounter with the music of the Malta’s
most famous composer Charles Camilleri. He is indeed the only Maltese composer
I am aware of, and a check of Mike Herman’s National Discographies doesn’t
turn up anyone else from the island. While admitting that the music on this
recording is not particularly serious, I will say that it is very enjoyable.
Camilleri was born and raised in Malta and emigrated to Australia in 1949
or 1950. A well-known Australian singer/songwriter, Joe Camilleri, was also
born in Malta and emigrated to Australia in 1950. As far as I can tell, there
is no familial connection between the two. To add to the “confusion”
a clarinet solo in the Malta Suite is played by a Joseph Camilleri, and the
informative booklet notes are written by a Dr Joseph Camilleri. It is not
clear whether these are one and the same person.
Returning to Charles, he moved to London where he earned his living as an
arranger of light music, performer, composer and conductor. He assisted Sir
Malcolm Arnold on the soundtrack of The Bridge on the River Kwai.
He dedicated his career to composition in the mid-1960s, and took up the post
of Professor of Composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto,
Canada, and also lectured at Buffalo State University, where he met and became
influenced by Elliott Carter, John Cage and Morton Feldman. Thus the works
from this period are very different to those of earlier decades. He finally
returned to Malta in 1983, continuing to compose until his death.
All three works presented here are from the neo-Romantic stage of his career.
The First Piano Concerto, subtitled ‘Mediterranean’ because of
the influences from southern Europe and north Africa is unashamedly Romantic,
very much in the Rachmaninov mould, though rather lighter and less virtuosic.
The slow movement begins with a haunting, unaccompanied solo for French horn.
He wrote three piano concertos, available on a single disc from the Talent
label (review).
Those who purchase and enjoy this recording and feel the urge to hear the
other two, as I did, should read Rob Barnett’s review, as it points
out that Concertos 2 & 3 are a complete contrast to the First, being mostly
dissonant and angular. Encouragingly, there is a fourth concerto, actually
named a concertino, which returns to the tonal school. This is available on
a Divine Arts recording (review)
in its two piano form, and Hubert Culot describes the slow movement as “one
of the loveliest things that I have ever heard”.
The Accordion Concerto is at the end of his nationalist Romantic phase, and
the atonic dissonant finale is evidence of the coming change in his style.
The Second Piano Concerto was written in the same year. The accordion –
Camilleri was a virtuoso – is not an instrument that appeals greatly
to me, but I didn’t mind the first two movements.
Also on the Divine Arts disc is the Malta Suite, four pieces titled Country
Dance, Waltz, Nocturne and Village Fiesta. Those titles will give you a good
sense of the style of music contained therein. If I call it light music, I
am not doing so a pejorative sense.
Production quality and performances are uniformly excellent. It is clear that
you need to be careful with the music of Camilleri, as with Joly Braga Santos,
in that their musical style changed so drastically mid-career. If you like
well-crafted tuneful music, with no great pretensions, then you will enjoy
this. If you want something more rigorous, look elsewhere, perhaps his later
works.
David Barker
Another review ...
The Piano Concerto No. 1 is a lush piece that is alive with
Mediterranean temperament. It reminded me at various times of the piano concertos
of Malcolm
Williamson and John Carmichael's equally colourful Concerto
Folklorico. The music is good-natured, floral and decorative yet such
sunny virtues are relieved by dark shadows, romance and a sort of heat-haze
that rises in the outer movements. The central Adagio with a French horn solo
played by Marco Cola is peace embodied with slowly moving gentle veils and
bell sounds providing the barest of ostinato punctuation. The third movement
well and truly breaks the spell with some rather clodhopping and unsophisticated
dances - full of life and strong rhythmic accents. The Accordion Concerto
is not at all prolix and is far removed from the avant-garde japes I recall
hearing in various Norwegian concertos for the instrument. Its first movement
is all Mozartean innocence, silvery and lively serenity. The second does a
nice line in weightless creamy nostalgia while the finale is more spiky: Prokofiev
with an acid chaser. The Malta Suite is light with
its movements taking in the country dance and a rather charming waltz in which
the clarinet is played by Joseph Camilleri. The Nocturne is a chilly meditation
with a sense of bereavement inflecting what we hear. The finale is decidedly
Hispanic. Good to read that the Waltz is played in the main square in Valletta.
Camilleri in similarly light mode can be heard in a generous selection of
suites and movements on Divine
Art.
All the works here benefit from a full-on recording with particular prominence
accorded to the piano.
Over the years Camilleri has had quite a few CDs issued. His organ works were
recorded in 1994 by Kevin Bowyer on Unicorn-Kanchana DKP(CD)9151. The Organ
Concerto - again played by Bowyer - appeared with other Camilleri pieces on
ASV CD DCA1011. That same company included in their now deleted catalogue
a recital of his music for violin and piano: ASV CD DCA1040. The Missa
Brevis featured on Unicorn-Kanchana DKP(CD)9157 and Olympia issued a
CD of Murray McLachlan in Camilleri's music for solo piano; in fact
I suspect there were several such volumes. There is very little Camilleri
currently available so let's hope that this Naxos disc augurs well
for more.
This Naxos recording project owes its existence to funding from the Valletta
2018 Foundation (the organizing body of the European Capital of Culture) and
the Mediterranean Conference Centre. This is an excellent use of the funding.
Good to hear the Malta Philharmonic again after last hearing them in various
recordings of rare British music (review
~ review
~ review)
and works by Brull
and Jadassohn on Cameo Classics.
Rob Barnett
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