Music from home and abroad

It was a great evening. The sounds of Renzo Spiteri's percussion, of Guo Yue Chinese bamboo flutes (except for one in pure white jade) and Ben Murray's piano, keyboards and accordion mingled to perfection and produced an evening of beautiful music which lifted our spirits and captivated our imagination.

The beauty of classical music, the ethereal serenity of kites gliding gracefully way up high, the pounding of horses' hooves across Mongolian grasslands, the irreverent Teapot, the soundless flight of the dragonfly - just a few of the items presented ‒ all these sounds and imageries mingled with the voices of the three performers, who sang in English, Chinese and Maltese confirming that music can really bring down barriers to produce one world without divisiveness. A world made up of more facets than a diamond, a prism incorporating all colours and creeds, a world that has become smaller and smaller, drawing us all together into its village folds. At least that is how idealists say it should be.

I remember a time when presenting music from other cultures and time frames was looked upon as outlandish, to say the least. I, for one, who was always adventurous in my choice of themes and topics for my radio programmes, remember remarks from people who were not ready to open up to other influences, to other sounds. I remember meeting people who could not understand why I was willing to go out of the mainstream. But I did and I'm glad I did. I also remember suggesting to the powers-that-be at the Education Department to amalgamate and make use of the diverse cultures that were arriving on our shores, but nothing came of it. Pity as our perception of other peoples would have become wider and more inclusive by now.

Fortunately things have started to change - albeit very slowly ‒ and events like the one being reviewed here is helping us get out of our insularity. Slowly and hopefully surely we are beginning to widen our boundaries.

It is in this light, besides applauding the unquestioned virtuosity of the three performers, that we should evaluate Sketches From Home. This is not the first time that Mr Spiteri has worked with other musicians - from Africa, China and elsewhere ‒ and may I say that I applaud his vision for a wider music world. Years ago I decided to interview him on radio as a percussionist. The first reaction of many persons was "what is there to say?" But there was, and I hope that Mr Spiteri and others like him will continue to present us with different experiences. On one proviso, though, the level of competence and artistry should never be allowed to falter, whatever the music, whatever the milieu. And this goes for any genre of music, be it classical, jazz, opera, world music etc. May we never, ever accept mediocrity.

The evening, which was anything but mediocre, came to an end with a piece of music entitled White Swan, surely a symbol of perfection and purity if ever there was one!!

By the way, I did enjoy the laid-back style of presentation adopted by the three musicians. Well done!