Yuri Didenko plays Chopin

I have been plotting a month of hibernation since summer started. I am fast becoming an old beached whale in comparison to the sex goddesses, anointing themselves with various lotions, now thronging every beach including my old haunt, the Exiles. But hibernation is not that easy. Several friends have been visiting from abroad. I always enjoy meeting them and catching up with their lives but how I wish they would not come in the middle of summer. Visitors are the first kiss of death given to my plans for hibernation. Then some invitations are simply too tempting to ignore. One such invitation was to Yuri Didenko’s piano recital at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the Mediterraean Conference Centre. We have heard Prof. Didenko at least three times before, twice at the Isouard Hall. The last time he came he played with another musician perhaps it was on two pianos and I remember not being very happy with that particular concert as they had seemed ill prepared. It was a heavy programme as I recall. This time round Didenko chose a most pleasant programme – four pieces of Chopin and the Variations on a Theme of Paganini by Johannes Brahms. Could one ask for more? Since his last visit he has shaven his Dr Zhivago moustache. I am always interested in trichological trends although I have not changed my hairstyle, beyond a change of parting for over 40 years. And, moreover he must have gone on some strict diet as he is much slimmer and looks a good ten years younger. He seemed much less careworn than he did the last time he played here.

It was a surprisingly full house and air-conditioned and I gave an enormous inward sigh of welcome as I looked at the programme: two ballades, a nocturne and a scherzo and the variations. At the end of the programme we were further spoilt with another two Chopin gems. The audience rewarded the pianist with gratifying oohs and aahs. He made a commanding entry with the Ballade no 2 in F major which set the mood for the evening. That evening Didenko played dreamily and poetically. He can change from a raptly gentle manner to ardour. I had so far considered Prof. Didenko to be excellent technically but this concert brought out another side of him. Perhaps Chopin and Brahms played their magic on him. An excellent evening.

Mid-Summer Garden Party at the Corinthia Palace Hotel

A small group of us decided to buy tickets to this charity event ly sponsored by The Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa together with various generous local companies in aid of ‘Beyond the Moon’, the international non-profit charitable association that aids seriously ill children by giving them the holiday of a lifetime and the opportunity of spending valuable quality time with their loved ones, in what could well be their last real vacation together. For a variety of reasons we turned up a little late and all the seating round the pool had been taken up. There wasn’t an empty chair let alone a table. Signor Rota, ever vigilant, saw this from afar and soon organized an excellent table from where we could see and hear the Band of the Hampshire Constabulary and its sixty musicians play some excellent light music. This band was formed in 1895 to promote police service in the community. The band, under the leadership of Captain P.J. Curtis of the Royal Marines who learned to play the Cornet with the Salvation Army, has made numerous visits to the United States and has travelled throughout Europe playing over 20 engagements per year for the benefit of charities and organizations. This was its third visit to Malta.

Everyone loved the music, on this balmy evening in the beautiful surroundings of the Corinthia Palace. From the Czardas to a tribute to the inimitable Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody through to the Miller Mood and two marches: Punchinello and the Midway March, we ate our way through delicious canapés and glasses of chilled wine. The band played classic war themes and paid tribute to Tom Jones and ended with The Hampshire Hog. There were changes of style and tempo and if you were not in the best of moods, the evening changed that. The food and drink were so generous I hope that some money was made out of this charity event.

Mr Rota said a few words of thanks at the end of the concert stating that although he has been in Malta for such a long time and his passport is Maltese, his heart is still Italian. No wonder the Corinthia Palace has just been awarded a very high Tripadvisor rating by its guests and has a Certificate of Excellence for 2011 to prove it. It’s guests, even if they are there for one evening only, are invariably treated like royalty.

A fond farewell to the Austrian ambassador Dr Gudenus

This was another pleasant evening, though tinged with sadness, held at The Arches in San Pawl tat-Targa, the residence of Her Excellency. I was happy to see a few Labour Party people there and to exchange news and views with them. When I voiced my delight a high profile personality remarked that he had held a dinner for Dr Gudenus at his home and invited ten Labour party MPs, I think it was, and another ten Nationalist MPs. ‘Only the Labour party guests turned up, none of the Nationalists did.’ I was happy to hear this. Inevitably this turned out to be another evening of more food and drink. Italico Rota and his wife Livia, were there. She told me that her father in his 80s lives in Germany with her mother. They were six children at home, although now most of them are dispersed throughout the world, like most families. I also greeted Andrea Lattughi whose wife is Maltese. He is now the Director of Operations for Catermax which was responsible for the excellent canapés and other delicacies which kept on coming out of the kitchen. My returning to size 16 is becoming more and more remote unless I go into strict hibernation, starve myself and do daily exercise. So, I wanted to know more about Catermax. It is a partnership between the Corinthia Group and the Vassallo Group. So that endless stream of delicacies coming out seamlessly from Dr Gudenus’ kitchen was being organized with military precision by Andrea Lattughi behind the scenes.

I have spoken on many occasions to Dr Gudenus and I say this in all sincerity: she really is a very special person. She is off to Vienna where her two sons live. It must be a relief to know that she will be in the same country as them at least for the next four years.

As to the Corinthia and Catermax. I met Alfred Pisani at Maurice Mizzi’s dinner at Bidnija. I told him how much I had enjoyed his interview in the Financial Times’ magazine How to Spend It, which appeared after the opening of the Corinthia in London. Always a gentleman of great manners and modesty, considering his enormous achievements, he thanked me and said that another five magazines had also interviewed him. Thank goodness for the great achievers amongst us.

Divorce and premierships’ milestones

I was thinking at my kitchen sink the other day about posterity and prime ministers. The following came to mind: In September 1961 Dr Borg Olivier was instrumental in Malta gaining independence from Britain. In December 13, 1974 thanks to Dom Mintoff Malta became a Republic and on 31 March, 1979 he was also instrumental in the closure of British military bases. On May 1, 2004 through Dr Fenech Adami Malta joined the EU (even if whether this was a good idea or not only time will tell.) Malgré lui Dr Gonzi will be remembered for the Divorce Law which was approved on 25 July 2011 by Malta Catolicissima.

Heq, that’s life.