Reviews

December 14th, 2011

“It is a haunting piece, extremely evocative and with a particular five-note figure which appears at the beginning of the work with a sliding note at the end accentuating the poignant atmosphere.”

“It is an eclectic work combining distinct styles and with unusual inclusion of harpsichord, harp and celesta. There are elegiac moments especially when a passage on solo horn occurs like a running motif but also some very vigorous full, orchestral sections which reminded those who knew Camilleri well of his vivacious and energetic character. This work deserves to be heard again and again, was enthusiastically delivered and very well received.”

- Times of Malta

June 27th , 2013

“The ambiguity of this evocation is further heightened by the visceral sonority of Cassar’s composition which manages to concurrently evoke the primordial desires of our ancestors while contemporaneously speak in a modish language. Like Agius’ work, this evocative composition cuts across the boundaries of the temples on a spatial level, claiming site specificity through the expansive setup of its performers; and also on a temporal level through its coeval and inclusive locution which spans millennia.”

- Catalogue Introduction for the project by Victor Agius and Mariella Cassar entitled “Art Project Ġgantija 2013”, Ġgantija Temples, Gozo, Malta, 27 June, 2013 by Vince Briffa.

September 1st, 2008

“Without indulging in weird effects and techniques, Cassar searches for new sounds by combining traditional instruments with less common ones.”

- The Sunday Times
November 11th, 2007

“In Ms Cassar’s composition Oriental prints one can hear the influence of her Maltese mentor [Charles Camilleri]. It starts with a slow octave introduction that gives the skeleton of a theme. This theme is developed and remains the principal focus throughout the piece. The Oriental mood of the title is brought out by the clashing harmonies and by the use of the uppermost register of the instrument…. The mood is essentially relaxed and is not even broken by a piu` mosso section. A tremolo in the left hand over which the theme continues to be stated with insistence precedes a short final coda that fads away into nothingness.”

- The Sunday Times
October 1st, 2007

“The word ‘passion’ is bandied about so frequently these days that it has lost its meaning. But I would say that in Mariella’s case it would be quite appropriate to say that her one enduring passion is music and I would not be using it out of context.”

- First Magazine The Malta Independent

February 18th, 2007

“The Royal Musical Association Research Students Conference 2007, which was held between January 3 and 6 at the Department of Music at Bristol’s University, was attended by several young international composers, among them Mariella Cassar from Victoria, Gozo. She presented a piece entitled Silence of the Soul…. I hope that Ms Cassar does not remain silent and gives us more of her talent.”

- The Sunday Times