A Maltese symphonic triumph

The New Idea Symphony composed by the late Charles Camilleri and commissioned by Edward de Bono was given its first public performance at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels by the Filarmonika Orchestra under the baton of Brian Schembri last Tuesday.

For many of us who were involved in the "making of" this project, this was a very moving occasion.

An all Maltese event in Brussels, the living heart of Europe; a tribute to a son of Malta whose revolutionary thinking methods transcend logical restrictions, have made him a world-renowned figure and the crowning artistic achievement of a very Maltese composer whose individual works are internationally recognised and performed. Alas, Mro. Camilleri died just days before the performance, however, his widow, Doris, bravely represented him at what must have surely been a very emotional experience.

I was present in Glasgow precisely two years ago when the symphony was recorded. Charles was in top form.

As the various sections of the symphony came together, I realised that this was a very special work into which Charles had poured his soul. I did not suspect at the time that he did, in fact, have some inkling that the end was hovering nearby. The only thing that I knew for sure was that the final glorious Lento was one of the most splendid pieces of music I had ever savoured, and still is.

Because Charles became ill soon after the Glasgow experience it took some time to translate the recording into a CD. However, happily, the nitty-gritty was ironed out just in time to coincide with Dr de Bono being appointed Ambassador for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 by the European Union. Suddenly it all came together and January 13 was designated as the official inaugural presentation and launch, which marked Malta's collective contribution to creativity and innovation with a bang.

Brussels in January is a pretty dire place. As I sit writing, I can look out of my window and feel the warmth of the sun as it bathes the honey-coloured Malta stone in gold. The sky is a limpid blue with just a few artistically-placed cottonwool clouds scudding across it.

The Belgian weather was nothing like that; unrelieved greyness, coldness and wetness. Still, the biting cold did not put me off and after spending a morning in the Museum of Modern Art enjoying the lovely collection of great masters Picassos, Gauguins and Bonnards along with their Belgian counterparts Khnopff, Ensor and Wappers to name but a few, Place des Sablons with its concentration of antique shops (for window shopping only) and (periculous) chocolatiers drew me like a magnet.

Music is always way ahead of other art forms in breaking new ground. Where music ventures intrepidly other art forms follow cautiously.

For those who, like me, are utterly fascinated by music as a genre, a new composition represents an intellectual and emotional challenge. As the first primeval strains of apparently unrelated chords set the work on its way, one knew, practically instinctively, that great things were afoot. Having listened to this symphony, Mro. Camilleri's first and sadly his last, so intensely, and having attempted to reflect its mood in the four watercolours I had produced for the CD cover, I could not help feeling very emotionally fulfilled by its first public performance, as were, I am sure, both Dr de Bono, Mro. Schembri and all those involved in its realisation.

The commission called for a work to reflect the germination, presentation, discussion, adoption and success of a new idea, which is the fundamental but unconscious raison d'etre of any work of art when one comes to think of it. The difference here lies in the fact that the composition is a deliberate exposition of the commission. This basic brief, which Charles developed and expanded with such mastery and passion, was given living palpability by Mro. Schembri, who has always championed Camilleri's works and conducts them with huge verve and effectiveness.

The content is splendid: innovative without being obscure and thematically rich.

The symphony is a product of its time; a period wherein musicians and composers of Mro. Camilleri's generation were still stylistically inspired by colossi like Stravinsky, Hindemith and Shostakovich.

It is, however, hallmarked by Mro. Camilleri's distinct orchestration; deft and expressive as a watercolour utilising a palette of amazing colour that is mesmerisingly beautiful and fills the three movements, Lento Spaziale, Vivace and Lento with a scintillating warmth that culminates in a final movement that now, with the benefit of hindsight, is the true summation of the late composer's life and work, an intense progressive climax that is thematically warm and genial and which rises, tier upon tier, to a spectacular resolution that keeps the listener on tenterhooks right to the very last moment.

kzt@onvol.net