Contemporary compositions

The Music Department at the University of Sheffield has enjoyed a long-standing friendship and artistic relationship with Malta thanks to Charles Camilleri. Its Wind Orchestra (SUWO) was among us a few days ago to give a number of concerts in collaboration with the Mediterranean Institute of the University of Malta, on the initiative of its director, Simon Mercieca.

I was fortunate enough to attend the last of these concerts, supported by the Ministry for Education and Culture. On this occasion, the SUWO was joined by local musicians from the music division at the University of Malta and from the Johann Strauss School of Music.

I was rewarded by a very pleasant evening consisting of a programme of predominantly contemporary compositions interpreted by an orchestra of committed adolescents conducted by their untiring director Anthony Houghton, and featuring as its highlight Leslie Neish, a world class, state-of-the-art tubist and a superb musician.

After a fine rendering of our national anthem, the orchestra proceeded to perform the first item on the programme, Mendelssohn's Overture for Harmonie, Op. 24. A somewhat shaky start settled into more cohesive playing and finally eased into confidence as the orchestra reached a convincing finale. With most teething troubles over, the SUWO went on to perform Time Remembered by Philip Sparke (b. 1951) where a beautiful entrance by the clarinets, oboes and the rest of the instruments in turn kept up a steady tempo in a piece characterised by much interplay of themes.

It was very moving to see Mro Camilleri, obviously not only approving of, but definitely enjoying every moment of the SUWO's Maltese premiere of his Il Nostro Tempo, commissioned purposely by the SUWO and Anthony Houghton, following discussions between the director and the composer. The result was a dynamic work in three movements: Space Probes, Death March and Awareness, which depict some of man's great achievements in our time, his destructive elements and his slow process of awareness of the power of love and spirituality. The side-drums captured the sound of machine-gun fire remarkably realistically in Death March which emphasised the destruction and futility of war.

This was followed by Għar Dalam, an impressive work by another contemporary Maltese composer, Philip Ciantar, who was a regular visitor to the Music Department at Sheffield some five years ago when he was working there on post-graduate research. Għar Dalam depicts a long and sometimes turbulent national historical journey from Il-Bidu in which a full orchestra effectively produced resounding effects of something mysterious and awesome; it modulated to the serene but still mysterious L-Għanja tal-Ħemda and ended with Lil hinn, characterised by an assertive beginning which progressed vehemently to a likewise assertive ending.

Composed in 1932 by Ottorino Respighi, Hunting Tower - Ballad for Band, proved to be very movimentato, evocative of wild Scottish reels emerging from a turbulent atmosphere. Tim Jackson's Passacaglia composed in 2006, originally the final movement of his Symphony for 32 Horns, and later reworked by him for symphonic band, flowed with a steady momentum from a rather solemn and contemplative mood through increasingly busy textures evolving into a triumphantly positive conclusion. George Lloyd's The Forest of Arden was perhaps the most conventionally melodious piece to be played that evening. Written in 1987 on a symphonic and almost Wagnerian scale, with an abundance of ideas wrought into a grand design, the piece boasted of a very impressive build-up and came to a grandiose ending serving as an appropriate climax to a very engaging evening of music-making.

This was not all. What placed the concert on a higher plane was Episodes and Echoes (2005) by Peter Meechan, recognised as one of today's most exciting composers whose music is informed by completely different influences from preceding generations including jazz, dance, funk and acid house. Mr Neish stole the show on his tuba. He captivated all with his enrapturing expression of a wide register and range of effects, procured by seemingly caressing his notes. He was a joy to watch and listen to, even more so in his solo encore Fnog in which he combined his versatility on his instrument with the use of his voice and obviously enjoyed every bit of it. So did we as an audience and we look forward to his return.