Never mind the music

The contrast could not have been any greater. On one particular TV station, a musical contest was being aired where - apart from the amazing spectacle - all the participants were passionate about performing a great song for the sake of music.

At the same time, another station aired another musical contest - but in this case, the artistes' only goal seemed to try to come out with something that would please the Eurovision's punters, grounded birds and all. Never mind the music.

The latter presented a sheer waste of talent, which was evidenced by mismatched duets and poor imitations of class acts. The article Which Song For Europe? (February 20), was, to say the least, kind to some of the songs taking part. This kind of musical contest does no good to Maltese talent, which in itself can be remarkable. It is sorry to watch some exceptionally gifted singers having to humiliate themselves by interpreting tacky tunes. No wonder that some artistes who have now established themselves don't even consider taking part.

If it is ok with the Maltese that we carry on with this annual charade, then so be it. But would it be possible to also start organising a proper local festival that allows our stars to truly shine? Perhaps we could attract the odd foreign guest to add some international colour.

Wouldn't the paying public be keen to fork out some money but this time to actually promote talent and at the same time enjoy music?