I have been an admirer of Edith Piaf for as long as I can remember. I was made aware of her existence long before my first trip to Paris, oh, so many mango seasons ago. I was, at the time, already reading Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, not quite the sort of book my father would have approved of but one can work miracles with brown paper. At the same time I was immersed in the novels of François Mauriac considered by many to be the French answer to Graham Greene, both 'Catholic' authors. Mauriac being the more Catholic and the more profound writer. Most of the women in Mauriac lead very different lives to the ones either Piaf or Simone de Beauvoir have lead. But there you are. Like most I am a bundle of contradictions.

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Wefted into the strands of Piaf's life are the names of many of the world's famous personalities: Chaplin, Guitry, Aznavour, Eisenhower, Dietrich, Chevalier.  These were some of the people who knew her and who influenced her... or as was often the case, were influenced by her.  Jean Cocteau in his admiration, said of her: 'If Piaf dies, part of me will die with her.' He wrote for her Le Bel Indifférent in which she played the leading role at the Théàtre des Bouffes-Parisiens.

In fact her death preceded his by just two days.

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Piaf's road to success was not an easy one. Blindness in childhood: near starvation; life in Pigalle among pimps and whores; alcoholism; drug-addiction... each was a part of her life and influenced the development of her quality as a woman and as a singer. We do know, however, that Edith Piaf's life was a pastiche of hope, misery, success, poverty, affluence and, of course, l'amour. It was the combination of the good and the bad that was the directive force in the evolution of one of the greatest chanteuses réalistes the world has known. Her personal life was rarely above reproach. Be that as it may, Piaf sang with an emotional persuasion born of personal experience... experience without which she would have been 'just another singer'.

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Intensely superstitious she was always conscious of a 'Great Guiding Force' which would see her through even the worst of her experiences.

After a period of blindness in early childhood, her sight was restored, through, she claims, a miracle wrought by Sainte Thérèse. She had an overwhelming faith in her talisman... her médaille miraculeuse, and at one time, when it had been lost or stolen, she collapsed during a stage performance and believed herself to be at the point of death. Happily a national-wide press appeal resulted in the return of the medallion and she recovered.

Better live than vegetate. This was Piaf's philosophy for life and she practiced it until the day of her death in October 1963.

I continue to marvel at the power of her voice and the range and depth of her emotions. I want all the CDs and vinyl records I have to be buried with me, that is, unless one of my grandchildren shows interest in this great chanteuse.

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So, the dynamic French Culturel Attaché, Laurent Croset was not going to let the centenary of the birth of this French icon pass by without commemorating it in Malta, too. And nor was the Ambassador. No doubt following a pow-pow with Her Excellency he set the ball rolling and created the event Je ne Regrette Rien: a Century with Edith Piaf which was also so very well publicized on Facebook. The embassy collaborated with the Strada Stretta Concept which comes under the Valletta 2018 Foundation (Chairman Jason Micallef). The SSC is under the direction of Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci who has master-minded so many events already.

 Much work must have gone on behind the scenes to coordinate what turned out to be an eminently successful evening last month. The turnout was extraordinary. Fortunately we were blessed with a lovely winter's evening.

 I was fortunate to be offered a lift by the thoughtful French Ambassador, so parking was not a problem. When we arrived the Loop Club in Strait Street was already abuzz with tables outside full of patrons expecting food and good music. Inside, the bar was throbbing with people waiting for the singing to begin. No fuss, no dithering and all went so smoothly. Mr and Mrs Jason Micallef turned up and Dr Schembri Bonaci was an informal master of ceremonies.

The gifted mezzo soprano Clare Ghigo was an excellent choice and sang in her own style but also in Piaf's way. There is nothing to me more soul-destroying than listening to well-loved songs being given an interpretation they were never meant to have. Clare has a Masters Degree in Opera Performance and she has already sung her way through several operatic roles and made her debut at the Wigmore Hall which says a great deal in itself. She was also soloist at the Joseph Calleja Summer Concert and Charity Galas. She is a versatile recital artiste as was evident that evening.  I am not surprised at her success and popularity. Clare told me that she researched most of Piaf's songs and chose the ones that could work with only an accordion accompaniment and in such a small place. Yuri Charyguine, the accordionist from Russia but who has been in Malta for quite a few years and her met a couple of times to discuss the repertoire and order and they decided to add a couple of well-loved accordion pieces for variety.

It was an exhilarating evening altogether. Chapeau to Laurent Croset first of all for its smooth running. He was enjoying himself too for the hard work had already been done and the results were there for all to see. Ambassador Béatrice danced with Giuseppe, her blonde hair flying. Laurent fell into the spirit of things too and Giuseppe was simply Giuseppe. We could not get enough of Clare and Yuri and the audience would hardly allow them to take a small break and was asking for more and more Piaf songs so beautifully rendered. The audience 'cried for madder music and for stronger wine.'

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This to me, was definitely one of the highlights in the cultural calendar of 2015. Thanks above all to the Ambassade de France, to Laurent Croset in particular but also to those who collaborated to make it memorable.