The mere mention of The Met in New York, Teatro di Caracalla in Rome and La Scala in Milan (there are others of course) immediately brings to mind quality. So when advertising started appearing that Laura Marzadori was going to play at the Manoel Theatre in June we knew that here was a concert not to be missed.  There weren't many empty seats left at the Manoel that evening.

Three musicians: The one and only Laura on the violin, a 1925 Giuseppe Fiorini, Eugenio Silvestri on the viola and two Maltese pianists, Francis Camilleri who accompanied them for the Mozart and Brahms pieces and young (she is only about 16 years old) Bettina Farrugia for the Shostakovich.

We were handed a printed programme which does not often happen these days.  I read the biographies through. Laura has some truly astonishing achievements. Her life is peppered with the names of distinguished musicians such as Salvatore Accardo, Daniel Barenboim,  Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, Uto Ughi, and others, all legends in their own lifetime. She won prizes and scholarships and all this from the time when she started playing the violin at the age of four 'with Fiorenza Rosi, an extraordinary Suzuki method teacher.'

Viola player, Eugenio Silvestri went from one scholarship to the next. He then collaborated with some important orchestras including the Rai National Orchestra (with which we are so familiar thanks to our Italian TV stations and Mezzo),  Orchestra Toscanini di Parma and many others. He is a member of the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra in which he held the role of first viola in chamber ensembles and also frequently collaborates as first viola with I Cameristi and I Virituosi della Scala. He also teaches.

Our own pianists Francis Camilleri and Bettina Farrugia are younger and did what they could locally where there isn't the diversity and choice that there is in much bigger countries like Italy. With these considerations in mind many of our musicians do very well.

Bettina Farrugia has a broad musical background which includes songs, cinematic soundtracks and orchestral works. She is also a composer - yes - and has achieved acclaim in this area as well and "Upcoming projects include an album involving various experimental and melodic pieces."

All four are achievers who are also gifted and work hard, tirelessly, to reach their goals. I admire them immensly but I reserve special praise for our own two who simply do not have the chances which musicians from other countries have but make the best of what there is here and often they and their parents make huge sacrifices to send their gifted children abroad for further studies.

Now for the programme. You must remember what I am not a music critic but a music lover. I write this diary to record what goes on here for our present readers and for future ones perhaps, who may wish to know what was happening when the present writers are dead and gone.

I loved the programme  made up of short pieces - movements - Mozart, Brahms and Shostakovich. The choice of programme highlighted the virtuosity and the expressive capabilities of the musicians but especially that of the violin and viola. There was some sparkling and witty conversation between the two string instruments.

I enjoyed the Shostakovich most, 5 pieces for violin, viola and piano.

A friend told me that Shostakovich's musical style was shaped by several factors. As a Soviet composer he faced pressure to conform to the principles of Socialist Realism. His music often reflected patriotic themes and celebrated Soviet achievements. He lived through tumultuous times, including Stalin's purges and World War II. His compositions mirror his inner turmoil, fear and defiance. His music often contains biting irony and sarcasm, subtly criticising the regime. He admired Mahler, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky. Their impact can be heard in his harmonic language, orchestration, and emotional depth. In summary, Shostakovich's style emerged from a blend of political context, personal struggles, and artistic influences.

A friend reported in something I had read. "He would play football and fool around with friends; then he would suddenly disappear. After forty minutes or so he would turn up again. "How are you doing? Let me kick the ball." Then he would have dinner and drink some wine and take a walk, and he would be the life and soul of the party. Every now and then he would disappear for a while, and then join us again.  Towards the end of my stay, he disappeared altogether. We didn't see him for a week. Then he'd turn up unshaven and looking exhausted."

Mozart's Trio dei Birilli, in Eflat major, K 498 consisted in three movements: Andante, Menuetto and Rondeaux; Allegretto. The opening tempo is leisurely, the Menuetto is folksy. The final Rondeaux: Allegretto has a returning theme, but there are more variations than usual between the recurrences of the rondo, so it is labelled in the plural, Rondeaux.

Mozart was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition resulted in more than 800 works representing virtually every Western classical genre of his time. Many of these compositions are acknowledged as pinnacles of the symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic and choral repertoire. "He is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, and his music is admired for its "melodic beauty, its formal elegance and its richness of harmony and texture."

Let me not forget to mention Brahms Trio in E flat major, Op 40 made up of four movements. So varied, so satisfying, such a pleasure.

I did look forward to the evening and their was not one single moment when I regretted making the effort to go.

The music played that evening not only satisfied this listener but left me enchanted.

I am taking a break. I am going to hibernate until August when God willing I shall get back to my Diary. Enjoy your summer holidays and thank you  for your support. Till we 'meet' again.

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