Pavlos Carrer (Paolo Carrer, Zakynthos, 12 May 1829 - Zakynthos, 7 June 1896) was a Greek composer. He studied in Zakynthos, Corfu and in Milan. His first operas were performed at the Teatro Carcano, Milan, in the early 1850s. In the same city he published some of his salon music. In 1857 he returned to Zakynthos, where Isabella d'Aspeno and La rediviva were performed. In 1858 excerpts from his opera Marcos Botsaris were performed in Athens in the presence of King Otto. However he was unable to secure its performance in his native Zakynthos because of the occupation of the island by the British who feared the subject of the opera (the Greek war of independence) would increase pro-independence sentiments among the Zakynthos and other Ionian islands population. In mainland Greece, Marcos was first performed in Patras in 1861 and then Athens in 1875. The last of his operas, Marathon - Salamis (1888), had its world-premiere in 2003. Throughout his career, Carrer also worked as a teacher.

Carrer was one of the most popular and widely performed composers in nineteenth century Greece, while achieving reputation in Italy. His style has Italian influences, especially from early Verdi and the belcanto. However, his musical idiom became more and more personal, not necessarily because he sought inspiration in musical themes of traditional music of mainland Greece.

Works

Operas: Isabella d'Aspeno, La rediviva, Marcos Botsaris, Fior di Maria, I kyra Frossyni, Maria Antonietta, Despo, i irois tou Souliou, Marathon - Salamis, etc.

Sacred vocal: Ina ti efryaxan ethni

Secular vocal (selected titles): O Demos, O stratiotis/Asma polemou, I anthopolitra, Lave ena rhodo agapi mou

Instrumental: 45 pieces for piano, music for band, music for flute and piano (mainly opera paraphrases)

Recordings

Pavlos Karrer, Despo, Markos Botsaris (excerpts) (LP released by the 'Friends of the Museum of Solomos and Distinguished Zantiotes', Zante, 1989) EMI MT15117

Paolo Carrer, Frossini (Lyra, ML0669/70, 1998)

Paolo Carrer, Despo (Lyra, CD0792,2002) (this recording includes, apart from Despo, the prelude to "Isabella d'Aspeno", the overture to "Maria Antonietta", "Gero-Demos", three songs for soprano and orchestra and a polka for orchestra)

Sources

1. E. Legrand: Bibliographie ionienne du quinzième siècle à l'année 1900, ed. H. Pernot, iii (Paris, 1910)
2. N. Varvianis: "Pavlos Carreris", Elliniki dhimiourghia [Hellenic creation], viii/85 (1951), 276-80
3. G. Leotsakos, ed.: Pavlou Carrer Apomnimonevmata ke Katalogos ergon ke moussikon heirographon [The Memoirs of Pavlos Carrer and a Catalogue of his Works and Musical Manuscripts] (Athens, 2000)
4. G. Leotsakos: Pavlos Karrer: Apomnimonevmata kai Ergografia [Pavlos Karrer: Memoirs and Works] (Athens, Benaki Museum / Ionian University-Department of Music, 2003)