Like Solzhenitsyn and Primo Levi the newspapers, TV and media in general bring us news that is almost impossible to hear. It is all so very depressing. However, since I have been in the newspaper business for many years, I simply must read and watch the news, which generally leaves me concerned and unhappy. The only way to rise above all this is to escape into music and reading, in my case, and family and friends.
My youngest darling surprised me in February by sending me tickets to the Saturday André Rieu concert. September was so far away but the day of the concert did arrive and I went with my eldest darling, the younger one being away.
We were approaching our seats just as the conductor and his orchestra were walking up to the stage with the audience, greeting them and clapping. The excitement was palpable. I go to a great many concerts but many people don't as classical music is not their 'thing' but Rieu is.
The lady musicians and singers, mostly beautiful with lovely hair and slim, must be selected not only for their musical abilities but also for their glamour (and slim arms). However, there were also some 'rounded' musicians as well, to my relief.
It has to be said that the organisation by TEC was impeccable. Security checked us and our bags. There were many ushers available who led us to our seats.
The Granaries were brightly lit and the stage scenography, Grecian, was built by the prop masters of TEC.
And so, the concert started. André Rieu's concerts have been created for easy ingestion and low-level concentration. Just what one needs to relax. Facing rows of spectators, in this case some 12,000, Rieu spoke with ease, more or less repeating what he must have said thousands of times before. Stradivarius in hand, a Maltese eight-pointed cross broach in his cravat, he launched the concert. "My concerts are about joy and love,"he said. My only comment is: why doesn't he get one of the tailors in Maastrich to fix his trousers and shorten them to fit him properly. There isn't much I dislike more than 'concertina' trousers on men or indeed, women.
A spectacle such as this speaks in two languages: that of the ear and that of the eye. The visual impact of any production should be inspiring and this was. You simply couldn't fault it. They made it sound and look so effortless. This was not a concert for experiment but for the tried and tested. In fact, the audience was acquainted with much of the music that was being played. Rieu and his orchestra seem to be as revered as Eurovision.
So, Nel blu dipinto di blu, Domenico Mudugno's Volare, Brindisi from Traviata, Ballade de Adeline, played on the grand by one of the musicians. Boléro, and so many songs and music we love. And at the end Xemx, sung heartily by the locals.
In between, a touching few minutes when this pretty, slim girl, Emma Kok, came on stage to a standing ovation. Rieu had explained that she suffered from a rare condition that had left her stomach paralysed and had to get her nutrients through a tube. She sang Voilà with the voice of an angel followed by much applause.
I mustn't forget the four local scout bands who came on stage in leopard skin, kilts and bagpipes playing Highland Cathedral, the cathedral being St Columba Church in Glasgow. We cheered and felt very proud of them. They were joined by a lady musician from the orchestra who played the bagpipes beautifully.
I afterwards asked Snezhana Vladimirovna Bodishtianu who was there with her husband Evi what she thought about the concert. This couple came to Malta in 1996. "We have been in Malta longer than we lived in our country. When we came I was 22 and now I am already 50 plus. Malta has been a kind and blessed place for us." They have two children and two grandchildren. "I am so grateful to this enigma island with a kind heart. As to the Rieu evening I only regret that they didn't play Offenbach, but still, what an evening. What a treat!"
Rieu was born the third of six children. His father was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra and his musically gifted son took up the violin from age five.Rieu also speaks six languages. He told us that he has been married to his wife Marjorie, for 47 years. It seems that all the travelling he does has not taxed their relationship.
The audience rose to the occasion. They swayed, hummed, sang and some got up from their seats and danced. It was all spontaneous and hugely enjoyable.
There were three tenors, one coming from Tasmania. The Hungarian tenor, Béla Mavrák, has been working with Rieu since 2005 and they have performed over 600 times together, he said on his Facebook page. "Thank you for the truly fantastic audience and all the kind people I met. I will never forget the experience of singing here. What a joy to be in Malta. There are so many beautiful places to discover."
The music, the singing, all sounded spontaneous although inspite of the fact that they must have sung and played the same pieces, again and again. They sounded fresh.
I will finish with some verses from W.H. Auden's poem Death's Echo.
The desires of the heart are as crooked as corkscrews,
Not to be born is the best for man;
The second-best is a formal order,
The dance's pattern; dance while you can.
That was indeed an enjoyable evening.
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Photos: TEC & ARP