Charles Camilleri (1931-2009)

Charles Camilleri

Maybe the Turkish Admiral Piri Reis or Hairedin Barbarosa, did not find Malta and gave the momorable "Malta yiok", which translates to "Malta not found"..we found and recognized a great man of the arts. The composer Charles Camilleri.

 
(Μπορεί ο τούρκος ναύαρχος Πίρι Ρέις (Τούρκικη εκδοχή) ή ο Χαϊρεντίν Μπαρμπαρόσα (Μαλτέζικη εκδοχή), να μη βρήκε τη Μάλτα και να έδωσε τη μνημειώδη απάντηση  στο Σουλτάνο, «Μάλτα γιοκ», που σημαίνει, δεν βρήκα τη Μάλτα, εμείς τη βρήκαμε και γνωρίσαμε, μάλιστα, έναν σπουδαίο άνθρωπο της τέχνης. Τον συνθέτη Sharles Camilleri).

Charles Camilleri (Malta 7 September 1931- Malta 3 January 2009) was one of the few native Maltese composers to have succeeded in making a significant impression in international musical circles. He was largely self-taught, and his ability to draw on diverse cultural traditions and marry them in an eclectic yet highly individual style proved particularly persuasive.

Camilleri was born in Hamrun, Malta in 1931. Despite early musical promise while at the Lyceum High School, he was initially destined for a career in law. However, in 1950, when the family emigrated to Australia, his somewhat unconventional career began in earnest with a brief period as a school teacher. Later on, a stint as a piano player in an ensemble that performed in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and San Francisco nurtured the inherent nomadic instincts that were to stay with him for the rest of his life.

Charles Camilleri (1931-2009) : Summer Nights in Malta, concertino for two pianos and Strings (1960)

For five years, from 1954 to 1959, based for the first time in London, he earned his living as a successful light-music arranger, composer and conductor. Here, in addition to his many distinctive film scores, he also created the incidental music for the Strand Theatre's award-winning show Sailor Beware. His next move was to Toronto, where after working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he enrolled at the local university to study music.

In 1965, returning once again to England, Camilleri now felt confident enough to focus exclusively on composition. Growing critical acclaim then allowed him the freedom to undertake many fruitful artistic collaborations with the leading performers of the day.

Particularly pivotal in this regard was the organist Gillian Weir, who during the course of 1970 helped to create Missa Mundi, his first major work for the organ. Cogently argued, highly articulate and inspired by the writings of the Jesuit theologian, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, this difficult and demanding five-movement technical tour de force remains an important contribution to the repertoire. Later essays for organ included Invocation to the Creator (1973), Wine of Peace (1976), Morphogenesis (1978), Toccata Britannica (1978) and a Concerto for Organ, Strings and Percussion, first performed by John Scott at the 1983 Three Choirs Festival.

Camilleri's huge corpus of works comfortably exceeds some 300compositions. Although stylistically diverse, they break down into three main creative periods, each of which produced a piano concerto. The first, dating from 1948, is titled "Mediterranean" and reflects an early and highly productive interest in the indigenous folk music of the Maltese archipelago; the second, premiered as part of Expo in Japan in 1970, is headed "Maqam", an Arabic form of extemporisation; the third, "Leningrad", cyclical, austere and somewhat abstract, was first performed in Russia in 1987.

Four years earlier, in 1983, Camilleri had returned home permanently to his creative roots at Naxxar. Here, alongside his still considerable musical output, in 1988, under the aegis of Unesco, he published a book of writings, suitably entitled Mediterranean Music. In 1992, having been at the forefront of the island's cultural life for over half a century, he proved a most appropriate choice as the first Professor of Music at the University of Malta.

Kenneth Shenton
Source The INDEPENDENT

 Charles Camilleri (1931-2009) : Piano Concerto No. 1 « Mediterranean » (1948) 

Discography Amazon

Σας προτείνουμε 

The Piano Concertos (No. 1 "Mediterranean", No. 2 "Maqam", No. 3 "Leningrad")

Track Listings

1. Piano Concerto No.1Mediterranean: First Movt

2. Piano Concerto No.1Mediterranean: Second Movt

3. Piano Concerto No.1Mediterranean: Third Movt

4. Piano Concerto No.2 Maqam

5. Piano Concerto No.3 Leningrad

 2 Clarinets & Piano: Original Music from Finland, Malta, Israel and points in between