Pavlos Carrer
Pavlos Carrer was born in 1829, on the island of Zante where he spent a great part of his life and finally left his last breath. He initially studied music in Zante, followed by Milan where he also worked during his first steps as a composer. It has been noted -though without sufficient evidence- that he also studied in Corfu for a while under the composer N. H. Mantzaros. He is known for being primarily a lyrical theatre composer. Beginning with a more or less Italian style of the first half of the 19th century and in conjunction with a conscious maturity, his works often deal with matters related to Greek problematics - both musical and historical. More specifically, his works track crucial topics in a gradual, thematological and compositional way at a degree and with an overtime insistence never done before. On the one end of the spectrum, these topics touch upon the (de facto) essential mix of musical-creative traditions of Eastern and Western Greece. On the other end, these topics also touch upon the on-stage contribution made towards shaping Greek identity which consciously includes the over-three-millennia-old rich history of Greekness in its full amplitude.
His opera themes branch out even into literary, social and historical topics with plots based either on famous literary works of world literature or shocking events of human history.
Wholly or partially saved operas:
- Dante e Bice (Dante and Beatrice)
- Isabella d'Aspeno (Isabella of Aspen)
- La Rediviva
- Marcos Botsaris
- Fior di Maria
- Frossini
- Despo
- Maria Antonietta (Marrie Antoinette)
- Marathon-Salamis
Other works by the composer comprise of songs accompanied by an orchestra -with the example “Ο Psomozetes” (The Bread Begger) standing out from the rest- as well as many piano songs, etc.