There was something fortuitous about the “crossing” of two prominent names on the world stage, but cases like this are hard to repeat. Soprano Elbenita Kajtazi needs no introduction. The audience knows her and expects exactly what she gave in the concert on Sunday night. Venezuelan tenor Jorge Puerta responded to a last-minute invitation. The result: a magical evening where two stars of the opera world shine. “Evening of the Opera” was a fitting overture to the gala evening that culminates this year’s edition of the “Rame Lahaj” International Opera Festival.
Islamic Vigilance
When two voices that have echoed around the world come together on one stage, what is known a priori is that they will bring their magic even to an improvised open-air event like the “Evening of the Opera” in front of the National Library of Kosovo, with the penultimate concert of the sixth edition of the “Rame Lahaj” International Opera Festival. Every challenge remains in the shadows, the conditions are of little importance and the names are: Elbenita Kajtazi and Jorge Puerta. The program: a journey through the pearls of the operatic repertoire with “stops” in those of Albanian music. The concert: a magical evening.
The Venezuelan tenor opened the evening. The fact that he was a last-minute "solution" carries little weight. Puerta is a name born for the stage and, within the framework of the Festival, this is his debut before the public in Kosovo.
Soprano Elbanita Kajtazi needs no introduction. The audience knows her and expects exactly what she gave in the concert on Sunday night. With elegance, a resonant and emotionally rich voice, she envelops each work she interprets with passion.
He also brought three works from the Albanian repertoire: "Vet ke mbet'" by Gjergj Kaçinari, an Albanian song with a lyrical character, expressing longing, loneliness and nostalgia after the departure of a loved one, and "N'mes dashurive" by Tonin Zadeja, an Albanian romance that treats love as a force that remains above all. He also brought the aria "Dielli ka gërendu" from the first Albanian opera "Mrika" composed by Prenk Jakova, which has a lyrical and very attractive tone, and which presents the feelings of Mrika, a young girl between love and her tragic fate.
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"Opera Evening" with two voices from the world in Pristina
It is always a special emotion for her to perform at home, among her loved ones.
"The emotions are always very special when I perform in Kosovo, but still it is a profession that I have been doing for many years and I manage to have that calmness that a singer needs before performing. While after the concerts, of course, it is an indescribable emotion, because you meet all the people, and especially in Kosovo, it is all people you know, that you grew up with, especially the professors of the faculty and many others. It is a very beautiful emotion," said Kajtazi after the concert.
Përveç repertorit shqiptar, ka interpretuar edhe arie dhe vepra madhështore operistike duke shfaqur teknikë të lartë vokale me veprat si “Zueignung”, Op. 10 nr.1 , një “lied” apo këngë e njohur gjermane nga Richard Strauss. Nis me përulësi dhe përfundon me një shpërthim emocional triumfues dashurie. Aria “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” e operës “La rondine” nga G. Puccini, në të cilën Doretta rrëfen ëndrrën e saj për dashurinë e vërtetë, duke zgjedhur ndjenjën mbi pasurinë, hapet nga tingujt e thyer në piano “arpeggio” nga Jess Rucinski, duke vënë në pah teknikën e mrekullueshme të frymëmarrjes nga sopranoja, pastërtinë e notave të larta që mbërthejnë skajet më të thella të shpirtit e të dashurisë, që është edhe mesazhi i aries. Nga Puccini ka interpretuar edhe arien “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” të operës “La Boheme”. Është ajo ku Mimi prezanton veten me thjeshtësi, një portret shumë njerëzor i një vajze të ndrojtur që gjen lumturinë në gjërat e vogla.
The program also included the aria from the opera "Rusalka", "Mesicku na nebi hlubokem", known as Antonin Dvorak's "Moon Song", where Rusalka addresses the moon and asks it to deliver a message to her beloved prince, a lyrical moment of the opera.
"I think that our country needs such festivals as much as possible, but now a very, very wonderful work is being done in this direction. I congratulate Rama, I congratulate him for the will he has, for the love he has and for not hesitating to give so much energy to this festival, because it brings very beautiful things," said Kajtazi.
He arrived in Pristina after a busy season. The upcoming one is also marked by debut roles.
"It's been an extremely busy season and I haven't even had time to post, because now the commitments are very big, even as a mother, and I can't really manage some things, but there are some very wonderful debuts, next season I will debut the role of Suor Angelica, a role that I have been waiting for with impatience, I have been waiting until now for the proper maturity that this role needs. It will be in Leipzig, then I will also be in England and Hamburg, where I have many other roles," she said.
In “Opera Night” the duo Elbenita Kajtazi and Jorge Puerta also took to the stage in a duet. They brought “Parigi, o cara” from Verdi’s “La Traviata”, one of the most touching operatic duets, where Alfredo and Violetta dream of leaving for Paris to start a new life, but Violetta knows that she is dying and that this dream will not come true, as well as “O soave fanciulla” from Puccini’s “La Boheme”, which is one of the most beautiful duets in the opera about the love between Rodolfo and Mimi.
They didn't have much time to prepare, but this hasn't left any mark.
"It was a very good collaboration. I only met Jorge a day ago, because there was another tenor scheduled, he got sick unfortunately, but Jorge is a wonderful tenor, so it's not difficult to adapt, it's extremely easy when you have such a colleague, who is wonderful in every aspect, also very loving, very kind. It was really very nice," said Kajtazi.
The evening, like a journey through artistic and operatic works, passing from Albanian and Italian to the peaks of the French, Czech and Italian operatic repertoire, also highlighted the peculiarities of the Venezuelan tenor.
Puerta is distinguished by her calmness and high technique of standing on stage, sometimes singing with her eyes closed, without major movements. And, this was noticed in the opening with one of the most famous Italian romances, “Ideale” by Francesco Paolo Tosti, where the character sings of ideal love with nostalgia and passion. She has also sung seven other solo works according to the program, and one more as an encore. In the repertoire there was “Te quiero dijiste” by Maria Grever, this famous Mexican song that speaks of the moment when you hear the words “I love you” for the first time. The songs “Besos en mis suenos” by Augusto Brandt and the song “Jurame” by Maria Grever have also come with romanticism, passion and dedication. She has also sensitively interpreted the aria from the opera “L'Arlesiana”, “Lamento di Federico”, by Francesco Cilea, where Federico laments for his lost love and is sung with despair, sorrow and loneliness.
Contrasts of emotions were present in "Pourquoi me reveiller" from the French opera "Werther" by Massenet, as well as in the arias "Ch'ella mi creda" by Puccini and "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar" from Verdi's opera "Othello", which is one of the most dramatic monologues, where Othello feels betrayed and destroyed by jealousy.
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Jorge Puerta has been acclaimed by international critics for his interpretations of roles such as Andrea Chénier, Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton and Don José, performing in some of the most renowned opera houses in Europe and Latin America. He is noted for his expressive voice and powerful stage presence.
"The whole process of realizing this program is very challenging, even when you have time. But when everything happens in such a short time, the adrenaline and emotions are even greater, especially since it is my first time here. Also, I know that Rame Lahaj's career is extraordinary, not only as a singer, but also for establishing this foundation and for his contribution to the development of culture in this beautiful country. This touches me very emotionally. I am very happy to be part of this journey and this project. I hope to return, but with more time, to enjoy a walk through Pristina. Thank you, because I feel and receive all that care and love from all those involved in organizing this event. I can't wait to come back and continue sharing these moments together," said Puerta.
This was his first collaboration with the Albanian soprano, Elbenita Kajtazi.
"Sometimes we work in the same theater, but never at the same time. She has also been part of the Essen Musical Theater in Germany. My season there has just ended. It is a great pleasure, because she is a very professional artist. I really like the way she sings and I have been following her for a long time. Therefore, it is a special joy that our artistic paths crossed on this stage and we came together to bring this beautiful concert. It has been a real pleasure to share the stage and realize this wonderful concert together," he said.
He has promised that the next time he has the opportunity to come to Pristina, he will bring Albanian works to his repertoire.
"It was the first time, it was a very short time, but I promise you that when I return, I will definitely include some of these pieces in my repertoire. Elbenita performed only a few of them today, and I immediately fell in love with this type of music. I promise you that when I come again, I will keep this promise and will definitely perform music from here as well," said the distinguished tenor. He also singled out the performance of operatic works in an open environment. For him, it is normal and gives a different feeling.
"It's not the first time I've participated in such festivals, I've also performed in Austria and Switzerland. Of course, it's not the same as singing in an acoustic hall, without a microphone and without sound reinforcement, which is what we artists love the most. However, this is not an unusual experience for me. Tonight was a wonderful evening. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. I don't know, there was something special. It was really a very beautiful night to share this concert with the wonderful audience here in Kosovo," he said.
The Venezuelan tenor has a busy season ahead of him starting in September and says he can't wait to get started.
"In September I will give a concert in Aranjuez, near Madrid. Then I will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania, where I will perform in the opera 'Aida'. Next year will be very special and exciting for me, because I will make my debut in the United States of America. I will perform 'Turandot' in Dallas and then 'Tosca' at the Atalanta Opera. Also 'Othello' in Switzerland. I have a wonderful and very exciting season ahead of me, so I can't wait for it to start. Now, however, I will try to enjoy some vacation. That was also the reason why I was able to come here. But, as you know, we rarely manage to have truly relaxing vacations, because a new opportunity can always arise or a last-minute phone call. We must always be ready," said Puerta.
Jess Rucinski, in addition to being an accompanist, also performed solo on the piano, thus performing two well-known piano works and showing high interpretative skills with calmness, fluidity and freedom that was conveyed to the audience through sounds, but also through artistic photographs of man, nature and greenery displayed on the large screen in the background. She performed the work that combines virtuosity with deep poetic feeling, “Fantasie-Impromtu” in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 by Chopin, as well as the dramatic prelude, Prelude Op. 23 no. 4 by S. Rachmaninoff.
Mezzo-soprano and university professor, Merita Juniku, said that "Opera Night" was a wonderful evening.
"The 'Opera Night' concert with two excellent soloists of the international scene, soprano Elbenita Kajtazi and tenor Jorge Puerta, was wonderful with a beautiful program," said Juniku.
Festival coordinator Besmir Vokopola said that the Festival managed the cancellation of tenor Charles Castronovo's participation.
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"Of course, today we had the opportunity to hear two truly wonderful voices, we had our well-known soprano, Elbenita Kajtazi, who brought a truly rich repertoire, traveling from Albanian composers to those who are the colossus of the classical repertoire, and likewise, with a small change in the program, we had the pleasure of having the tenor Jorge Puerta, who immediately responded to our last-minute request, since the tenor Charles Castronovo, for health reasons, could not be present. These are some typical situations that can happen in the world of opera and lyric poetry, because the voice is very delicate. But we immediately mobilized, through our contacts, and of course we tried to bring a tenor of the same level and in fact, I believe tonight showed very well that the tenor we brought not only fulfilled all the values, but also made us enjoy a truly important voice," he said.
"Opera Night" was an evening dedicated to lyrical art. It precedes the "Rame Lahaj and Friends" gala concert on Wednesday. Until then, the two distinguished voices echo in anticipation of other stars.
