Labour icon irate at Gensna rebuff

Her stunning looks and dazzling voice are synonymous with the great Maltese chanteuses of the last three decades. But Mary Spiteri, adored for interpretation of the unforgettable ‘Tema 79’ in the socialist rock opera Gensna, has not been asked to participate in a forthcoming edition of the concert.

Her inimitable voice was a singular feature at Labour mass meetings and concerts, but her career’s zenith was reached with her 1992 Eurovision entry ‘Little Child’, which remains a Maltese favourite.

But although Spiteri’s voice is not open for discussion, the singer has told MaltaToday that she has been informed that the new Gensna concert – staged under instruction by the new Labour government – will not be inviting her to perform ‘Tema 79’.

“I was told that new and young artists would be invited to perform… but later I discovered that all the former singers in Gensna had been included in the line-up, bar me. I just want my fans to know that I was not asked to participate.”

Gensna was originally manufactured as a triumphalist spectacular for Dom Mintoff’s republican aspirations. Now it is being organised by the national festivities committee, whose members include former broadcaster Lou Bondì.