By AD111797
06-Apr-2012

The Maltese... composer!  

How many Maltese composers can you name?

Add Charles Camilleri to the VERY short list. First, because, in spite of his long Canadian career, he represents one of the summits of musical achievement for the small Mediterranean country where he was born. He also composed the first opera in the Maltese language, an intriguing blend of Latin and Arabic sources.

But, more importantly, include Camilleri because he seems to have had an unusually wide aesthetic scope. He was equally at ease with "light music" (the Pops orchestras must know of him) as with difficult experimental work. This piano album Celestial Harmonies exposes mostly the latter current. Several striking suites expose a big-boned kind of piano writing like that of Messiaen without all the biblical references, but not entirely devoid of transcendence. The astronomically inclined listener could also entertain a parallel with the works of Estonian stargazer Urmas Sisask (for example the cycle 'Spiral' http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=744723).

I must admit I was first intrigued by the geographical oddity, but came to truly appreciate Camilleri's unique voice through his piano works from 1977 to the twenty-first century. Despite the title, there's nothing "New Age" here - a much more adventurous attitude towards dissonance is required to enter his world.
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