The following article is an overview of the career of Maltese composer Ray Agius. The main source of information is an interview with Mr Agius, conducted by Bas Tukker in January 2018. The article below is subdivided into two main parts; a general career overview (part 3) and a part dedicated to Ray Agius' Eurovision involvement (part 4).
All material below: © Bas Tukker / 2018
Contents
- Passport
- Short Eurovision record
- Biography
- Eurovision Song Contest
- Other artists about Ray Agius
- Eurovision involvement year by year
- Sources & links
PASSPORT
Born: January 31st, 1952, Mosta (Malta)
Nationality: British (1952-1964) / Maltese (1964-)
SHORT EUROVISION RECORD
A real festival composer if ever there was one, Ray Agius
took part as a songwriter in the Maltese Eurovision pre-selections with dozens
of different songs, amongst which three winners. The first one of these,
however, ‘Sing Your Song, Country Boy’ for Enzo Gusman (1976), was never
performed on the international festival stage, as Malta withdrew from
participating in Eurovision. Agius had to
wait until the 1990s for new opportunities. In 1995 and 1997, he represented Malta
as a songwriter, arranger, and conductor with ‘Keep Me In Mind’ for Mike Spiteri
and ‘Let Me Fly’ for Debbie Scerri respectively. Both songs finished with the
first ten on the scoreboard.
BIOGRAPHY
Raymond Agius was born and raised in Mosta, Malta. His father was an assistant
chemist who later started his own pharmacy business; at the same time, however,
he was a passionate amateur musician. In his youth, he played the church organ
during functions.
“Father loved sacred music and band-marches,” Agius comments.
“He was almost completely self-taught, but he pushed all of his children into
taking music lessons. We did not really have a choice! When I was six, I was
sent to the Santa Monica School of Music in Mosta for piano and accordion
lessons. My first teacher was a nun, Sister Benjamina Portelli. I wasn't hooked from the start and it took a lot of conviction on the part of my father
to make me continue. When I was unhappy about having to study, he sat with me
at the piano, encouraging me and giving me the little theoretical and practical
knowledge he had. While all my brothers and sisters were allowed to quit music
lessons at some point, I had to continue. As I heard later, it was also Sister
Benjamina who time and again told my father not to let me stop, because she
felt I had a musical talent. When you are young, you need people to take
decisions on your behalf sometimes!”
Ray as a boy playing the accordion
Apart from taking private lessons with Sister Benjamina, young Ray also became a member of the music school’s accordion band, led by maestro Victor Zammit. The formation performed across Malta, even making various appearances on national television. While pursuing his secondary education at the Archbishop’s Seminary, Ray continued studying the piano. At the age of sixteen, at a concert held by the Malta Cultural Institute, Ray gave his first piano recital, playing the works of several classical composers.
Simultaneously, he kept on studying harmony and music theory, being taught by two of the greatest Maltese modern classical composers, Carmelo Pace and Charles Camilleri. “Sister Benjamina prepared me for my performing diploma whilst maestro Carmelo Pace coached me to obtain a licentiate diploma in music theory and harmony from examiners of the London College of Music, which I did in 1969. My ambition was never to rely on music as my full-time job as that was quite elusive for anyone in Malta. Though I considered going to university, I applied for a job at a bank – and I was happy about the prospect of earning my own decent living. I continued to work in banking for over twenty years, eventually as a manager.”
In 1969, at the youth centre in Mosta, Ray met Alfred C. Sant for the first time. “This centre was a meeting place for Mosta’s local youth. Alfred and I discovered we shared a passion for pop music. I remember there was an old piano in the concert hall and when it was free, Alfred used to bring his acoustic guitar and we spent hours having fun improvising on various pop tunes and standard numbers. We listened to all pop charts of the moment and song festivals: Eurovision as well as the San Remo Contest. Whilst talking about these well regarded events, Alfred told me about the Malta Song Festival and how he dreamt of participating in it as a songwriter. Though I was not convinced about my talents as a composer of popular music, we agreed we should give it a try. When I sat down at the piano to write the music, the melody came more or less naturally to me.”
A gig at the Skyroom Club: Preluna Hotel, Sliema; Ray (far left) with Gilbert Holmström (sax), Antoine Bonnici Soler (piano), Joe Arnaud (flugelhorn), and Charles ‘City’ Gatt (drums)
‘Ninsew li kien (While My Broken Heart Complains)’, Ray Agius’ first-ever composition, was admitted to the 1969 Malta Song Festival and, being performed by Gina Spiteri and Gorg Agius, attained a fourth place. This proved to be a hearty encouragement for the budding songwriting duo. Meanwhile, beside his daytime job, Ray Agius started playing the piano in dance halls and at wedding ceremonies with the group of Reno Spiteri. In 1970, he was invited to join the band Supernova, composed of Joe Arnaud, Tony Almerigo and Charles ‘City’ Gatt, to play at the Preluna Hotel in Sliema. This gig came by chance as the original British pianist, John Porter, had difficulty renewing his work permit.
“Looking for a replacement, Charles thought of me. I was not so keen playing jazz, especially with such seasoned musicians, but Charles said that he and the other band members would see me through… which is what they did. The most important thing for them was that I knew how to sight-read music. After all, they had written arrangements. The guys of the band gave me advice about which jazz records to listen to for inspiration. Though I studied classical music, I got hooked on jazz. It offered me interesting new horizons! I stayed with Charles’ band for two seasons, but even after that time, occasionally I kept on jamming with the islands’ ardent jazz guys. I even bought myself a Fender Rhodes piano, because I was so attracted to the sound of that instrument. Instead of Debussy and Ravel, I started listening to Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbert Hancock.… and later on also to Weather Report, Chicago, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. All of this music influenced me profoundly.”
For some seven years, Ray Agius continued playing in different venues across Malta with leading musicians like Val Valente and Sammy Murgo. As a pianist, he played in orchestras which accompanied song festivals, and in 1974, he was the keyboard and piano player in the live orchestra for Malta’s first-ever rock opera, ‘Dream’, staged at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta. In 1978, Agius accompanied world-renowned jazz trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff at a one-off concert in Malta. As his schedule of working in the bank during daytime and playing at night in hotels, whilst at the same time having to maintain a family life, was extremely demanding, Agius scaled down his freelance music activities towards the end of the 1970s, though continuing to pick an occasional gig here and there.
Performing at the Buskett Roadhouse Club, Rabat (1974), from left to right: Sammy Murgo (saxophone), Ray Agius (electronic organ), Louis Borg (drums), and Victor Fenech (bass)
In 1972, Agius and his lyricist Alfred C. Sant wrote the
single ‘L-ewwel tfajla li habbejt’ for rock band Malta Bums – a huge hit
success and a leap into the unknown at the same time, as it constituted one of
the earliest examples of a rock song in the Maltese language. In those years,
the Agius/Sant songwriting duo became regulars at song festivals in Malta,
participating in several editions of the Golden Cross International Children’s
Music Festival, the Malta Folk Song Contest, and of course the Malta Song
Festival. In 1972, besides placing third in the Malta Song Festival, they had
their first taste of an international song contest at the prestigious Yamaha
World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, with their song ‘Id-dinja taghna
(Our World)’, performed by Mary Rose Mallia.
“Maltese songwriters always dreamt of participating in international festivals," Agius explains, "as opportunities at home were so limited. Mary Rose and I went to Japan together. The festival was held at the Budhokan Hall with a capacity of more than ten thousand people. At the first rehearsal, the local conductor asked me if I wanted to conduct the song myself. It was an opportunity I could not refuse, though it was not an easy decision. I was only twenty years old and I had never conducted an orchestra before… but I guess there’s always a first time! The orchestration for ‘Id-dinja taghna’ had been done by maestro Anthony Chircop, but I knew the score almost by heart. We did not win, but it was an unforgettable experience. One of the other songwriters was Michel Legrand and even Björn and Benny of ABBA were there as participants, though they were still unknown at that time.”
Having had his first taste of international festivals, Agius was keen to try again. In 1974, he managed to have a song of his, ‘Got to have you beside me’, performed by Enzo Gusman, admitted to the Castlebar Festival in Ireland, where it placed second. More high-profile were his four participations as a songwriter in the Viña del Mar Song Festival between 1975 and 1979, on all four occasions with singer Enzo Gusman; especially ‘Sing Your Song, Country Boy’ (1976) and ‘Adios, amore mio’ (1978) were extremely popular with the Chilean audience. The former song was actually the winning entry of the Malta Song Festival and due to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague, but that year the island republic withdrew its participation. Undeterred, Ray Agius decided to submit his composition for the Chilean festival instead.
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Agius (left) at the 1972 World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, with Björn Ulvaeus (centre) and Benny Andersson (far right)
“For Viña del Mar, any composer from across the globe
could submit a song and I was lucky to be admitted four times. The Chilean
organisation paid for the flights and accommodation of the singer and one
songwriter. In 1975 and 1976, I accompanied Enzo in Viña del Mar. Being there
for the first time I was not aware that I could have conducted the orchestra,
which was already scheduled under the resident conductor."
"A year later, I
conducted my composition ‘Sing Your Song, Country Boy’. These were the days of
the Pinochet dictatorship; there was a curfew and tanks were in the streets. The
festival itself was fantastic, though. It was held in Quinta Vergara, a huge
open air venue in a forest, with about thirty five thousand spectators
attending. These people were so crazy about the festival! High-profile artists
participated or gave a guest performance… Riccardo Cocciante, Julio Iglesias,
Matia Bazar, to name just a few. For the Pinochet regime, the festival
obviously was a means of propaganda – a method of letting the Chileans forget
about their plight for a while. Nevertheless, I would say it was the best
festival in which I participated. The atmosphere was simply unbeatable.”
In 1978, Malta was among the favourites to win the Viña del Mar Festival with ‘Adios amore mio’, a romantic medium tempo ballad with a Latin feel. It was voted as the press favourite and Enzo Gusman was chosen as the festival’s best singer. In the end however, overall victory was a bridge too far. Ray Agius himself did not attend this edition of the festival.
Conducting the festival orchestra in Viña del Mar (1979)
“After
having visited two times myself, it was only fair that Alfred (Sant – BT) would
get the opportunity to attend this time. According to Alfred, Enzo, knowing the
audience loved his song, gave a fantastic performance in the final night. He
also told me about an impresario who worked for CBS, who wanted to publish our
song. He mentioned singers he could offer our song to, the likes of which were
Matt Monro, Al Martino, or Andy Williams. Alfred was stunned and felt this was
too good to be true, so he suggested getting my approval before signing
anything."
"Eventually this impresario sent us a publisher’s contract which we
never returned back signed. With hindsight, it was a stupid thing to do,
because, the year after, I was back in Viña del Mar myself… and there was this
guy storming up to Enzo to ask why he had never received any answer from Malta
regarding the contract. Enzo told him I was the songwriter of ‘Adios amore
mio’. It was obvious this guy had been serious about our song all along. He
asked me if the song was as yet unpublished, but I told him that we had assigned
it to another publisher. This was a golden opportunity for me and Alfred, but
we threw it away – unlucky, but that is the way things go sometimes!”
Back in Malta, Ray Agius and Alfred C. Sant wrote for many different local artists, most notably perhaps Joe Cutajar, Malta’s answer to Frank Sinatra. In 1977, Cutajar released an album of twelve songs all written by Agius and Sant. Three years later, the songwriting duo embarked on another, slightly outlandish recording project: the album ‘Sail Away Jamahiriya’, sponsored by The Voice of Friendship and Solidarity, a Libyan radio station based on Malta. The LP was recorded at Rome’s Mammouth Studio.
With American bandleader Ray Conniff in Viña del Mar (1979)
“The
project was commissioned by this Libyan radio station," Agius recalls, "the idea behind it being
to promote to a wider audience the ideology of Gadaffi’s ‘Green Book’ through
popular music. It had to be a professional production and the managing director
promised we could record our songs with a live orchestra if needed. Alfred and
I made it clear to him that such a project could not be done in Malta. “No
problem,” he said, “you will get your fifty-piece-orchestra and we
will record it in a professional studio in Rome”. It was a golden
opportunity for us. For years, we had dreamt about going to a professional
studio to record our material. This obviously was an opportunity which we couldn't pass up.”
With Alfred C. Sant, Agius wrote all songs for the album. An
all-star ensemble of Maltese singers was hired to sing the material: Bayzo, Joe
Cutajar, and Mary Rose Mallia. Once Agius had finished his composing work,
Alfred encouraged Ray to do the musical arrangements as he believed in his
abilities.
“At the time, I thought Alfred was joking,” Agius admits. “I had
never written orchestrations, but, as so often, he convinced me to do it. I
bought some text books about arranging and orchestration and put pen to paper.
When I finished the orchestrations, I was really anxious to hear the final
result with the orchestra. In Rome’s Mammouth Studios, the resident conductor
of the studio was impressed by the arrangements. “This sounds like New
York!,” he said. He was astonished when being explained these were the
first-ever arrangements I had written.”
In the following years, Agius composed and arranged three more albums for the Libyans – ‘Freedom Diary’, recorded in Rome (1981), ‘Fight To Victory’, and ’Rahiba Tawriha’, both of which were recorded in Catania in 1982. A couple of years later, in Malta, Agius and Sant embarked on another Libya-sponsored recording project, ‘The Struggle’, a rock opera focusing on the themes of colonisation, oppression, and the fight for freedom. In the end, due to a change in directorship at The Voice of Friendship and Solidarity radio station, the plan to have the play staged never materialised – though all compositions were released in Malta on a triple album (1985).
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Agius, commenting, “It is regrettable
the rock opera was never performed in public, but I am proud of the album which
was released. I would describe the music as pop rock, slightly theatrical and
occasionally with a jazzy feeling. We recorded it in Malta Tunisia Denmark
Meanwhile, Ray Agius and Alfred C. Sant continued taking part in song festivals, most notably the International Festival of Maltese Song, first held in 1981, replacing the now defunct Malta Song Festival. Between 1981 and 1989, Agius and Sant wrote four winning entries for Renato & Marisa (twice), Bayzo, and Mike Spiteri. For his winning performance of Agius’ composition ‘Kompjuter’ in 1985, Mike Spiteri was backed up by his band Mirage, constituting the first time ever a rock-band emerged triumphant at a Maltese song festival. Moreover, Agius was awarded with the prize for best orchestration three times consecutively, a significant source of pride to him as the jury members were the members of the orchestra accompanying the festival.
Internationally, Sant and Agius had their fair share of
festival successes as well. With Enzo Gusman, who had immigrated to Canada,
they took part in two Canadian festivals, placing first in the 1980 Compose A
Tune For Broadcast Contest and second in the 1983 Italian-Canadian Song &
Talent Festival as well as in the Canada Talent Song Festival that same
year. Besides, the songwriting duo penned the song ‘Xemx, imħabba, bahar,
sliem’, with which Mary Rose Mallia won the Bizerte Festival in Tunisia in
1983, and achieved honourable positions with compositions for Enzo Gusman in
the Cavan International Song Festival (Ireland: 1983) and for Mike Spiteri in
the Bratislavska Lyra Festival (Czechoslovakia: 1987).
Being presented with the award for composing the winning song in the 1989 International Festival of Maltese Song, with (left) Achille Mizzi, chairman of the Malta Song Festival Board, and (centre) Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Malta’s Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs
“Unfortunately, I
could not go to any of these foreign festivals myself," Agius explains. "It would have been far
too costly and of course there was always my daytime job! I would have loved to
go to the Bratislava festival, especially as I did the orchestration for the
sixty-piece orchestra which I could have conducted. In that festival, Mike
Spiteri placed fifth. In Bizerte, Mary Rose won the festival, but she was also
voted best singer. There happened to be an impresario present there who signed
her for performances in Germany, where she worked for a considerable number of
years as a professional singer.”
Keen to increase his musical knowledge, Agius followed a course of contemporary composition with maestro Paolo Grech in 1990-91. “It was inspirational learning from Grech, one of Malta’s prolific contemporary music composers who also conducted one of the BBC orchestras when he lived in England. During this period, I composed various pieces in that style for piano solo, piano and flute, violin and violincello. ‘Daydreams’, a piece in 3 movements for piano solo, was performed at a concert held at the Malta School of Music in 1991. At around the same time, I quit the bank. After twenty-two years, I decided I had enough and joined my family business, first in a toy shop and later in my father’s pharmacy. This allowed me to devote more time to composing.”
Beside dozens of compositions for the Maltese heats of the Eurovision Song Contest, to which the Mediterranean republic returned as a participant in 1991, Ray Agius competed in other Maltese song festivals as well in the 1990s, winning the Festival Kanzunetta Indipendenza on two occasions; in 1997 with Tarcisio Barbara and in 1998 with Claudette Pace. Agius also penned two more winning entries for the International Festival of Maltese Song for Lawrence Gray (1998) and Fabrizio Faniello (1999). Moreover, with singer Miriam Christine Borg, he won the Malta International TV Song Contest in 1999. In 1993, when Malta organised the Small Nationals Games, a local competition was organised to determine the official tournament song, which Sant and Agius won with ‘Getting together’, appropriately performed as a duet by Moira Stafrace and Mike Spiteri.
Ray Agius, Mike Spiteri, and Alfred C. Sant waiting to be interviewed on television after placing third in Malta Song for Europe with ‘Paceville’ (1992)
Agius, commenting, “One of my successful tunes in those
years is without a doubt ‘Sa l-ahhar’, with which Fabrizio Faniello won the
International Festival of Maltese Song in 1999. In fact, it has become one of
our island’s most requested songs of all times. That one tune really boosted
his career. In English, it translates as Until the end and people still love
it, requesting it both at funerals and weddings… what a coincidence! Years
later, ‘Sa l-ahhar’ was picked up by a German producer and recorded as a cover
version by a German pop group, Bella Vista.”
As one of Malta’s most successful composers in the 1990s – the decade in which he represented his country twice as a songwriter at the Eurovision Song Contest – it comes as no surprise that Ray Agius recorded several albums with some of Malta’s most prolific local artists as well, amongst which three with Mike Spiteri, one with Debbie Scerri, and one with Mary Spiteri. At the 1995 and 1997 Malta Music Awards, he won the prize for best composer.
Internationally, Agius managed to participate in an impressive number of song festivals as well in the 1990s and 2000s, first of all winning the Commonwealth Song Competition in 1990 with ‘A House With Many Rooms’ for Manolito & Olivia; as well as picking up first prize in the Cavan International Song Festival in Ireland that same year with ‘Our Little World Of Yesterday’ for Renato & Marisa. In 1997 and 1998, he won a total of three first prizes in different categories at the South-Pacific Song Contest in Gold Coast (Australia) with his compositions for Mary Spiteri, Debbie Scerri, and Mike Spiteri. Besides, songs of his also represented Malta at contests in Pamukkale (Turkey), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Los Angeles (USA), Cairo (Egypt), and Braşov (Romania), picking up several jury awards for best arrangement and best composer in these competitions. For his perseverance as a songwriter in international song festivals, Ray Agius received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Megahit Mediterranean Song Contest in Antalya, Turkey.
Winning first prize at the South-Pacific Song Contest in Gold Coast, Australia; from left to right: Ray Agius, Mary Spiteri, and Alfred C. Sant (1997)
Continuing his successful run at the Festival Kanzunetta Indipendenza, Ray Agius wrote five more winning entries in this festival between 2002 and 2016 for Lawrence Gray, Claudia Faniello, Amber, Mike Spiteri, and Dario Bezzina. The new millennium, however, brought new challenges as well; it was not until relatively late in his career that Agius was given the opportunity to write music for television. In 2005, he composed the soundtrack to the TV series L-agenzija.
“That series was written by my wife,” Agius
explains. “It was the second teleseries for which she wrote
the script. For such work you need a different approach when compared to
writing a pop song for a specific vocalist; in the case of television, it is
all about enhancing the TV experience for audiences, even though most people
would not take notice of the music and sound effects.”
Later on, collaborating with script writers Michael Vella Haber and Evelyn Saliba La Rosa, Agius wrote the title songs for two more TVM series, Emilya (2009) and Zafira (2012). Between 2011 and 2013, much of Ray Agius’ time was consumed by his work on D.R.E.A.M.S., a high school musical drama for local television.
The composer at work (c. 2001)
“It ran for two whole years, every week. It was
quite demanding because, for each broadcast, I had to compose two or more new
songs on lyrics I was handed, and then record them with singers many of whom
did not have much experience. Obviously, they needed a lot of coaching, but
finally the series had a strong following in Malta. In fact, in 2013, cast
artists from D.R.E.A.M.S. were chosen to perform the opening sequences of
Malta Song for Europe, our local Eurovision selection.”
Looking back on his career in music Agius says, "Of course I would have liked being a fulltime songwriter but it is very hard to live on music only. Given that I am from Malta, where opportunities are scarce, I have had my fair share of festivals abroad – and I enjoyed taking part in them immensely. I would say there is not much reason to complain!”
Ray and his wife
Margaret, a former schoolteacher, actress, and TV host, have two children:
Greta, a lawyer by profession and Rudi, who earned a Ph.D. at University
College London. Having inherited his father’s passion for music, he composes
and produces his own music whilst also performing as a DJ both in Malta and
abroad under the pseudonym of Jupiter Jax.
Winning the 2016 Festival Kanzunetta Indipendenza with ‘Se naslu zgur’, performed by Dario Bezzina
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
Ray Agius composed and conducted two Maltese Eurovision Song Contest entries in the 1990s, but he was very much part of the country’s first era of Eurovision participation in the first half of the 1970s as well. In 1972, when the young republic participated in the international festival for the second time, he and Alfred C. Sant co-write three songs which took part in the pre-selection, the Malta Song Festival, of which ‘Ghasfur tac-comb’, performed by Helen Micallef, placed third.
After two bitter placings in the 1971 and 1972 Eurovision Song Contests, Malta did not take part for two editions until trying again in 1975 with Renato Micallef and ‘Singing This Song’, which placed twelfth. The following year, a new edition of the Malta Song Festival was organised and, after the respectable result the previous year, it was generally expected that the winner would take part in that year’s international Eurovision final in The Hague as well. That year, Enzo Gusman won the festival with ‘Sing Your Song, Country Boy’ (or ‘Tifkiriet tagħna it-tnejn’ in Maltese), a lively country pop tune penned by none other than Ray Agius and Alfred C. Sant.
“We really thought
we were going to Eurovision,” Agius recalls. “The English version was
orchestrated by a British arranger, Olly Blackett, and the Malta Song Festival
board paid for the expenses of having it recorded in London and released on
Bull’s Eye Records in preparation for Eurovision. When everything seemed to be
coming up roses, a strange decision left everyone dumbfounded. Somehow Malta’s
participation was withdrawn. It was said that considering the expenses and fees
involved it was not feasible for Malta to keep participating in the contest.
Gaetano Abela (1940-2018 – BT), the chairman of the Song Festival
Board, was ready with the necessary sponsors to cover all expenses, but the
decision of the Malta Broadcasting Authority was not reversed. Maybe there was
some conflict between the broadcaster and the Malta Song Festival Board, but I
never got to the bottom of it.”
Agius, aged 20, getting his first taste of conducting an orchestra at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan (1972)
Had ‘Sing your song, country boy’ been allowed to take part
in that year’s Eurovision final in the Netherlands, would Agius have conducted
the song himself? “I don't know. I suspect Joseph Sammut would have been chosen, as he was the conductor of the Malta
Song Festival that year as well. As a matter of fact, I was the pianist in his
festival orchestra that year!"
"Later that same year, I led the orchestra in
Chile for ‘Sing Your Song, Country Boy’ in the Viña del Mar Song Festival
myself. The fact that the song was admitted to Viña del Mar made up partly for
the disappointment of being denied the opportunity to do Eurovision… at least,
for me. Enzo was more devastated than I was. He had already won the Malta Song
Festival in 1974 with a song he had written himself (‘Paċi fid-dinja’ /
‘Peace To The World’ – BT), only to see Malta withdraw in that year as
well. Funnily enough, in 1995, when I represented Malta with Mike Spiteri and
‘Keep Me In Mind’ at Eurovision in Dublin, Enzo was there as a commentator for
TVM. I exchanged one or two jokes with him about how he finally managed to get
to Eurovision, and Enzo, being the great character that he is, was really
good-humoured about it.”
It was not until 1991, after an absence of sixteen years, that Malta returned as a participant in the Eurovision Song Contest. Each year since, a local pre-selection has been held, in which Ray Agius and Alfred C. Sant became avid competitors. Between 1991 and 1993, the songwriting duo had six songs in the running, and though they achieved good placings, victory eluded them. They especially tried hard with Mike Spiteri, who took part in all three editions with a song by Agius and Sant. In 1994, they again submitted a title for Mike Spiteri, ‘Fejn thobb il-qalb (Another Night, Another Heartache)’, but it did not even make it to the final night. Though the song became a radio hit and a top favourite with the Maltese public, Agius was left somewhat frustrated.
Conducting 'Sing Your Song, Country Boy' at the 1976 Viña del Mar Festival in Chile
“I was so disappointed about the Maltese Eurovision heats
that I wanted to give up and not participate anymore, but it was Mike who kept
on insisting to give the festival a last chance. Deciding to have one more go,
I composed another song for him for the 1995 Malta Song for Europe. That song
was ‘Keep Me In Mind’. As usual, I wrote the music first before giving it to
Alfred. I prefer it that way – creating the melody that I want, and then
perhaps adapt one or two things at Alfred’s request. We have always had a
marvellous working relationship, in part because he is a musician as well. He
is one of the few lyricists I know who actually reads music. I used to just
give him the music sheet, he played it at home on his guitar, and then added
the lyrics – which is how it should be! Mike really believed in the song from
the moment he heard the demo version. ‘Keep Me In Mind’ was written in a style
which suited his powerful voice. I remember how he said he was hoping so much that
he would win this time – and, luckily, this time he really did win!”
Later, as in previous years, a professional recording of the winning Malta Song for Europe entry was done in Italy – in this case a studio in Rimini with arranger Vince Tempera. Tempera, a household name in Italian showbiz, had been Malta’s conductor at the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. In the early 1990s, the Malta Song Festival Board turned to him several times for recording the Maltese Eurovision entry.
“Though, at a meeting in Malta, I had given Tempera carte
blanche to do with my original festival orchestration whatever he
wanted, he actually made only very slight alterations, claiming he felt it was
good as it was. I am really happy with the recording we did in Italy. The
rhythm and brass sections were recorded live. There was a very good drummer by
the name of Lele Melotti. He used to gig with Zucchero and Vasco Rossi. The
studio owner told us we were lucky to get this guy for our session.”
To Ray Agius, it was clear from the start he wanted to conduct ‘Keep me in mind’ in the Eurovision final himself. “The festival organisers in Malta had to work on a shoestring budget and, at a first meeting after we won the Malta Song for Europe festival, we were told they were only willing to pay for the expenses of the singer and the conductor. At that time, the songwriters were looked upon as extras and were not invited for the trip. It was at that point that I insisted on conducting my own composition, something I wanted to do anyway. To the credit of the committee, they accepted my decision right away. Alfred came to Dublin as well, but unfortunately, he had to pay everything from his own pocket. Our delegation was very small and consisted of a handful of people only. Maestro Tempera was part of the delegation too. He had been involved in Maltese Eurovision campaigns in previous years, and, after having overseen the recording of ‘Keep Me In mind’ in Italy, came along as a music consultant.”
Relieved winners at the 1995 Malta Song for Europe: Mike Spiteri and Ray Agius
The Malta Song Festival Board decided to hire four Irish background vocalists to be on stage with Mike Spiteri instead of bringing along backing singers from Malta. “I was not against it,” Agius comments. “I was told three of them had been part of one of the winning Irish teams (with Niamh Kavanagh in 1993 – BT). They were professional backing vocalists. We rehearsed with them for two or three days before the real rehearsals with the orchestra in the Point Theatre started. In the first run-through with the orchestra, there were some sound problems, which are normal in such big shows, but in the end I was happy with the way it sounded. The orchestra musicians were top-notch. As a result, I was confident we would give a worthy performance on the big night. There was a good response from journalists when they saw Mike in rehearsals. Amongst others, we were interviewed by the BBC, who had high hopes for our song. In the years before, Malta had usually not received good marks from the UK jury, but we received seven points and I was really proud of that.”
Though Ray Agius had taken part as a composer in song festivals in Castlebar and Cavan – winning the 1990 Cavan Song Festival with Renato & Marisa –, he had never been to Ireland before. “These were smaller festivals,” Agius explains. “The participating vocalist was accompanied usually by just a member of the Malta Song Festival board. Coming to Ireland in 1995 was a great experience. I liked the atmosphere: the friendliness of the people, the green countryside, and most of all, the Guinness – fantastic! The organisation of the contest was simply perfect. There was a sightseeing trip to the countryside, which was really nice. We also went to some of the parties organised by other delegations. The Maltese party was organised in Lillie’s Bordello, a pub in the heart of Dublin. We had a good time, I must say.”
In the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, Malta had the benefit of a good draw, performing second-last in the sequence of all the twenty-three participating countries. Did Agius expect to do really well in the voting, perhaps even to win?
“Well, you never can tell what happens in any competition,
but I was hoping for a top ten placing. For Malta to ever win the Eurovision
Song Contest is somewhat hard considering the big budgets some countries can
afford for promotion. Back then, it was not uncommon that there was a lot of
lobbying for votes between countries. Of course our delegation leader Gaetano
Abela did his utmost. It was largely due to his efforts and pressure with local
authorities that Malta returned to the contest in the early 1990s. When
budgets were tight, he also forked out some extra money from his own pocket.
All of this proves just how dedicated he was to the Eurovision Song Contest. He
really had the festival at heart.”
The core of Malta’s 1995 Eurovision delegation at the Point Theatre in Dublin; Ray Agius with Gaetano Abela and Mike Spiteri
In the end, ‘Keep Me In Mind’ earned 76 votes, finishing tenth. “And I was really happy with that,” Agius laughs. “For Mike, Alfred, and me, it was an excellent result. ‘Keep Me In Mind’ maybe is not the single-most strongest song I ever composed, but it is certainly up there amongst my personal favourites. Perhaps we had a slight advantage to be allowed to sing in English, but I guess the main reason was that song suited Mike so well. On the Eurovision stage, Mike had the power, the adrenaline, and the confidence; it was such a powerful performance! Moreover, he stayed true to himself. He wore clothes he had bought in a Dublin shop the day before the dress rehearsals; and they were credible and suited his style. Finishing tenth was a perfect end to the very positive experience we had had in Ireland. I look back on it with pride.”
Two years later, when the Eurovision Song Contest final was
again held in Dublin, a composition by Ray Agius was chosen as the winner of
the Maltese pre-selection once more; ‘Let Me Fly’, an ethnically inspired
melody performed by Debbie Scerri. This time, Agius had not only taken care of
the music and arrangement, he had also written the lyrics himself.
It was the
first time I wrote a song all on my own. The thing was, after the 1996 Malta
Song for Europe, in which none of our songs had been admitted, I was doubly
motivated to do well. Apart from ‘Let Me Fly’, I submitted four other entries.
When these four pieces were ready, I wanted to do one more… an ethnically inspired
song. The ethnic style was successful in Eurovision in the 1990s, so it seemed
a good idea to give it a try. When I wrote the melody, I immediately had high
hopes for it. Then I asked Alfred to do the lyrics, but he felt there was no
need for more entries, since we had already prepared four songs for submission.
I felt so confident, however, that I decided to write the words myself. Playing
the melody at the piano, somehow, the lyrics followed naturally. From that
moment on, I wrote quite some song lyrics by myself, though the main successes
were all with Alfred.”
Celebrating victory with Debbie Scerri in the 1997 edition of Malta Song for Europe
What about the singer, Debbie Scerri? “She took part in Song for Europe the previous year and I liked her voice. To me, it seemed an interesting idea to write her an ethnic song, because I felt it would suit her style. ‘Let Me Fly’ was written with her in mind. In the end, all five songs were admitted to the final! It was some sort of revenge after not having any song in the previous year’s selection. It also meant I had to go looking for other singers, because three of the five songs were recorded as a demo by Mary Spiteri, while the rules stipulated she could only sing one. Apart from Mary, for whom I chose a ballad, ‘Lovers Play With Words’, and Debbie, my entries were performed by Alexander Schembri, Claudette Pace, and Tarcisio Barbara. Thanks to a change in the rules, each songwriting team could now choose its own conductor, and therefore I conducted all five songs myself, something which had not been allowed yet in 1995. It was a tricky situation, because I was kind of competing with myself. The Mary Spiteri ballad was a strong contender. There was the risk of points being divided amongst the five songs, resulting in someone else walking away as the winner.”
In the final score, all of Agius’ five entries finished with the first ten; Mary Spiteri came third, but it was Debbie Scerri who was chosen to represent Malta in the international song festival in Dublin. Agius, commenting, “The jury probably picked Debbie because of the style of the composition. Since the festival was held in Ireland, it seemed compatible to have an ethnic song. I had consciously added folkish elements in the arrangement; most notably the harp part. Meanwhile, the organizing committee in Malta had an agreement with a German studio, CAP-Sounds in Frankfurt, so that is where we went to record the song. They also took care of the promotion of the song. The recorded version is quite good, though only the guitar and harp parts were recorded live; otherwise it was all electronics. It was obvious it would sound differently when performed in the Eurovision final in Dublin with a live orchestra.
In 1997, for the first time, it was allowed to bring a backing track with pre-recorded instruments and sounds without the obligation of miming these on stage. “In fact, the organising committee in Malta asked me if I wanted to use the orchestra at all. There was already the understanding that the orchestra would be taken away from the Eurovision Song Contest in one or two years’ time and, therefore, there was already the option to use just a backing tape, but I would have none of it. If there is the opportunity to use an orchestra, what is the point of playback? Obviously, live is riskier than playback, but the feeling with an orchestra is totally different from performing on stage with a karaoke track behind. It's simply impossible to reproduce the enthusiasm of a live orchestra performance.”
Backstage at Eurovision 1997 with one of the presenters of the festival,
Boyzone's Ronan Keating
“In fact,” Agius further explains, “in Dublin with Debbie Scerri, our performance was entirely live. In Malta, beside the festival orchestra, I had three supporting musicians: Renzo Spiteri, a percussionist, guitarist Philip Vella, and an Italian harp player working for the Malta Theatre Orchestra at that time, Donata Mattei. Though it took some convincing on my part, the Malta Song Festival board finally agreed to take them to Dublin for the good of the song. At some point during rehearsals, though, one member of the Maltese delegation told me how he had heard the instruments on stage could not be played live. This was a pity… what was the point of taking three accomplished musicians to Ireland if all they were allowed to do was miming their parts? Luckily, it turned out later that same day there had been a misunderstanding of some sort. We did not have to use a backing track after all.”
During the broadcast, a minor incident which went unnoticed with television audiences occurred prior to the performance of the Maltese entry. Though the festival was held in the same hall as in 1995, the orchestra was much farther away from the stage. This had allowed producers to use a crane camera which could move all around the stage where the singers performed.
“The start of our performance required some coordination," Agius recalls. "Philip Vella,
the guitarist, had to start at exactly the same moment as the orchestra. He had
to carefully watch my hand movements while I was counting in the orchestra. During
rehearsals, there were no problems, but in the concert itself there was a split
second of delay, because the crane camera came exactly between Philip and me
when I was about to count in the orchestra, meaning we could not see each
other. Unbelievable! I had to wait, because Philip had to be able to see me.
Luckily, it was just a second or two before the camera moved away – and in the
end, nobody noticed a thing.”
Debbie Scerri rehearsing her performance at the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, backed up by guitarist Philip Vella
For the international festival final, Debbie Scerri wore a purple-and-blue gown suggested to her by Maltese fashion designers, a dress which raised some eyebrows amongst followers – so much so that she was proclaimed the ‘winner’ of the so-called Barbara Dex Award for worst-dressed artist in the contest. Nevertheless, the Maltese entry did well in the voting, finishing ninth with a total of 66 points. In spite of doing one place better than in 1995, Ray Agius was not completely satisfied this time around.
“During
rehearsals, people were saying we were among the favourites, though I never
honestly believed we could win. The feedback from the delegation and the press
was that we could achieve a fifth or sixth placing. Nonetheless, with a more
convincing performance, who knows how much better we could have done?
Unfortunately in the final night, the singer was not at her best. Certainly
this could have had an effect on the result. It was a pity, as in the heats in
Malta, Debbie had been very confident on stage, doing a great performance.
Looking back, though, a ninth place is a fair result and nothing to be ashamed
of!”
“Overall, I enjoyed the experience for a second time in
Dublin,” Agius concludes. “My wife accompanied me once again. Back then, she
worked as a broadcaster. She came to Ireland to do interviews with participants
for her programme on a Maltese radio station. One of the singers she
interviewed was Katrina who competed for the UK. To me and many others, Katrina
& the Waves were the obvious favourites from the start. ‘Love Shine a
Light’ was a good song for Eurovision.”
Ray’s wife Margaret (dressed in blue) interviewing four members of Mrs. Einstein, the vocal group representing the Netherlands at the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, from left to right: Saskia van Zutphen, Linda Snoeij, Marjolein Spijkers, and Paulette Willemse
The participation in the 1997 contest with ‘Let Me Fly’ is
not the end of Ray Agius’ personal Eurovision story. Between 1998 and 2012, he took
part as a songwriter in the Maltese Eurovision pre-selection programme with no
fewer than twenty-one entries, working with Alfred C. Sant and several other
lyricists, including Alfred’s son Godwin, as well as with some of Malta’s most
high-profile singers, including the likes of Claudette Pace, Miriam Christine,
Ira Losco, Claudia Faniello, and Amber. On three occasions, a song composed by
Agius finished second: in 2003 with Lawrence Gray (‘Why Not’, lyrics: Ray
Agius), in 2006 with Olivia Lewis (‘Spare A Moment’, lyrics: Godwin Sant), and
lastly in 2008 with Claudia Faniello (‘Caravaggio’, lyrics: Godwin Sant).
“There were times when I was slightly disappointed about the results,” Agius admits. “All three songs which finished second were beaten by compositions which failed to impress in the Eurovision contest. My worst experience of these three was with Lawrence Gray in 2003. Lawrence was a clear favourite both with fellow singers and the general public. The expectations were really high. It was his time to go to Eurovision. Strangely enough in the final night, two out of the seven members of the jury gave him extremely low points and Lawrence had to settle for second place. It came as a surprise to everyone. When the results were announced, there was unrest amongst the audience and many left the venue before the programme was over.”
At one point, foreign songwriters were admitted into the Malta Song for Europe competition. Avid international competitors such as Marc Paelinck (Belgium), Jonas Gladnikoff (Sweden), and the ubiquitous Ralph Siegel (Germany) had multiple entries in the Maltese pre-selection.
With Fabrizio Faniello (left) and football manager Giovanni Trapattoni (centre) at the Top Sprint Award gala in Catania, Sicily (2000)
“I recall
one year (2005 – BT) when Siegel had five songs in the
running," Agius recalls. "I am not afraid of competing with foreign composers, with whom I have
competed in similar festival abroad for decades, but it is not an ideal
situation to admit them into our Song for Europe. In Malta, with very few
opportunities for songwriters, the Song for Europe competition is a potentially
important showcase. By admitting foreigners to submit songs as well, the
opportunities for local songwriters have become even more limited. Nowadays, a
number of seasoned Maltese composers have lost interest in the Eurovision Song
Contest. I mean, in the 2018 selection in Malta, about two thirds of the
entries in the finals were penned by foreign songwriters. The setup of the
competition has changed so much that I have not been feeling like taking part
in recent years. Nowadays, it is more about the singer than the song; the
composer and author are hardly given any credit. Moreover, the choice of
entries is leaving a lot of unanswered questions among those who participate,
making it slightly different from the way things used to be.’
In spite of all that, Agius still follows Eurovision closely – and there is room for some optimism. “The winners from Ukraine in 2016 and Portugal in 2017 were compositions I really liked. Finally songs which are musically interesting are coming to the fore again. Salvador Sobral’s entry… that is what I call songwriting. No gimmicks whatsoever; just the combination of a good composition and a good interpreter – and that was all that was needed to win the hearts of all the audiences in Europe. If Eurovision continues developing in that direction, who knows, I might try again."
"Looking back, I
enjoyed taking part a lot. I would not say it was the absolute highlight in my
career, because the Viña del Mar Song Festival in Chile was perhaps an even
bigger occasion than Eurovision – and moreover those four festival
participations in Chile, in my younger years, were maybe more of a thrill.
Conducting the orchestra in Viña del Mar was an unforgettable experience.
Having said that, hardly anyone in Malta has ever heard of the Festival
Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar, while, on the other hand, the
Eurovision Song Contest enjoys a great following. Representing your country in
Eurovision really means something; and I am proud I had the opportunity to be
up there twice as a composer and conductor.”
Receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Megahit Song Festival in Antalya (Turkey: 2002): Ray Agius flanked by Figen Çakmak (vice-president of FIDOF, dressed in white-and-black coat) and host Serhat Hacıpaşalıoğlu
OTHER ARTISTS ABOUT RAY AGIUS
Having been close friends with Ray Agius since the second half of the
1960s, Alfred C. Sant has worked with him as a lyricist ever
since. “It is difficult to summarize what I learned from Ray’s acquaintance
spanning almost five decades. Knowing Ray as a songwriter for so long, I can
tell of his passion and dedication. As an orchestral arranger, he proved
himself working in a major Italian recording studio, when, in my presence, he
was asked by a top international music producer to consider a pro-career there.
His striving towards perfection when recording his creations in local studios
is a conspicuous feature and characteristic of his professionalism.” (2018)
No other vocalist has performed more compositions by Ray Agius than Mike Spiteri. Looking back on their mutual experiences, Spiteri comments, “It was of great satisfaction to team up with Ray and Alfred, two of the island's renowned songwriters. This happened at a time when I was at my peak in the rock scene featuring with bands in another type of music. The collaboration with this duo at the time launched me in the festival scene, eventually leading to my participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, with ‘Keep Me In Mind’. Most of the songs they wrote for me have been amongst the most popular tunes in Malta, as can be noted by the hits on the general media. Apart from being music enthusiasts and collaborators, I consider Ray and Alfred as being the best of friends.” (2018)
Ray Agius at the piano with Alfred C. Sant
EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR
Country – Malta
Song title – "Sing Your Song, Country Boy"
Rendition – Enzo Gusman
Lyrics – Alfred C. Sant
Composition – Ray Agius
Studio arrangement – Olly Blackett
Live orchestration – Olly Blackett
Conductor – none / Malta withdrew
Score – none / Malta withdrew
Country – Malta
Song title – "Keep Me In Mind"
Rendition – Mike Spiteri
Lyrics – Alfred C. Sant
Composition – Ray Agius
Studio arrangement – Ray Agius / Vince Tempera
Live orchestration – Ray Agius / Vince Tempera
Conductor – Ray Agius
Score – 10th place (76 votes)
Country – Malta
Song title – "Let Me Fly"
Rendition – Debbie Scerri
Lyrics – Ray Agius
Composition – Ray Agius
Studio arrangement – Ray Agius
Live orchestration – Ray Agius
Conductor – Ray Agius
Score – 9th place (66 votes)
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