The Philharmonic, since the return of the Kosovo "Passacaglia" to Beethoven, echoes freedom

The work, written in the late 70s by Baki Jashari during his student days, would shatter prejudices when it was first heard in Ljubljana. It was the work of an Albanian composer who was at the peak of his career in Yugoslavia at the time and took on a different meaning. “Passacaglia” had not been heard for a couple of decades until Friday night. The duo Patrick O'Byrne and Artem Yasynskyy brought magic with Francis Poulenc's “Concerto for Two Pianos” and the climax with Beethoven's “Symphony No. 7” gave the tonality of the entire concert with sounds that rhyme with freedom. And, for Serbian conductor Premil Petrovic, this has another meaning, besides the echo of freedom in turbulent times. “In Serbia, I don't know when an Albanian conductor from Kosovo will be able to conduct the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. This speaks volumes about the differences between these two countries,” he said.

Culture in Kosovo knows no politics. A Serbian conductor conducting a concert of the highest state musical institution is a test. Among the works of the world repertoire, he is also entrusted with the work of the composer from Kosovo. Under the direction of Premil Petroviqi, Friday night's program opened with Baki Jashari's "Passacaglia" and continued with Francis Poulenc's "Concerto for Two Pianos" with soloists Patrick O'Byrne and Artem Yasynskyy in a magical dialogue. The concert closed with Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7" with sounds that rhyme with freedom, which, according to the conductor, responds well to the situation in the region and the world.

In the Atelier of the Palace of Youth and Sports, the concert was a large ensemble of sounds that transformed into emotion and music in a common language across borders.

With this concert, the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra has demonstrated its ever-growing artistic power to create special concert experiences.

Baki Jashari's "Passacaglia" carries a deep emotional atmosphere, where the harmonic layers and gradual development of the theme create a kind of almost meditative atmosphere. It was an introduction that set the tone of the concert, constructed with sensitivity and artistic finesse.

For the vast majority of the audience, the work, which is one of Jashari's first, was a premiere. The author of the work has said that it was probably performed two decades ago in Kosovo.

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"The experience is always emotional, even tonight, especially since it was performed by the Kosovo Philharmonic. I don't remember when it was performed before, maybe twenty years ago, with the conductor Bahri Çela, right after the war," said composer and conductor Baki Jashari.

It has been said that it is not an easy work to interpret.

"I congratulate the instrumentalists for their effort. It is not an easy work, it is in the expressionist style, written in the technical-compositional two-tone style, which means that it is very specific, it almost requires mathematics within the composition. The essence is how to extract music from all that order that has been written. It was a special experience for the public, who I think probably very few of them know the work," said Jashari about the 1979 work, which he said is among his first serious works that he wrote during his studies in Ljubljana.

"What made it important was that it was a student work at the time, but it took a very interesting turn on the occasion of the first premiere by the Ljubljana Radio and Television Orchestra at that time, today Slovenia, when it was selected from a competition among young composers of that time. For me it was an extremely great honor at that time, despite the fact that we were in the former Yugoslavia and I was an Albanian from Kosovo. It gave it a very serious connotation," Jashari said.

The conductor from Belgrade who lives and works in Berlin, Premil Petrovic, considered Jashari's work excellent.

"This is the first time I have conducted a work of his. It is a brilliant composition written in the late 70s, when he was a student in Ljubljana. For me it is very significant to open my first concert with the Kosovo Philharmonic with a local composer. And the fact that this work has not been performed by the Philharmonic before makes everything even more exciting," he said.

Petrovic is the founder, conductor and artistic director of the musical ensemble "No Borders Orchestra" that has brought together instrumentalists from across the region, including those from Kosovo. He has called Jashar a true friend, referring to his support for the orchestra he leads.

"I have known Baki Jashari for many years as the director of the Kosovo Philharmonic and he has been very supportive of the 'No Borders Orchestra'. When we organized concerts here, he always helped us by allowing the Philharmonic musicians to play with us and by providing us with instruments. A true friend," he said.

The stage was enlivened by the “Concerto for Two Pianos” by French composer Francis Poulenc. It was an explosion of energy, rhythm and virtuosity. Pianists Patrick O'Byrne from Ireland and Artem Yasynskyy from Ukraine brought musical dialogue, where their natural interaction led to colorful interpretation.

For pianist Artem Yasynskyy, this is the third time he has performed in front of an audience in Pristina. In May 2024, he opened the 14th edition of the “Chopin Piano Fest” with a recital concert. A year later, at the same festival, he was part of the “Schubert Trio” evening together with Croatian cellist Jelena Očić and violinist Sihana Badivuku.

Yasynskyy considered the work beautiful and energetic. It resembles the capital.

"It's a music full of different characters and for me there's something very modern, because in every piece something changes. It's like walking in Pristina: you see different views, different people – someone talking, someone laughing – and for me this work is connected in a way to the city itself," said pianist Yasynskyy, praised by critics for his virtuosity.

Born in 1988 in Donetsk, Ukraine, his destiny was written with the piano from the very beginning. He came from a family with a tradition in classical music. At the age of seven, he would become a student at the Special School for Talented Children run by the Prokofiev Academy in Donetsk, and he would give his first concert as soon as he turned eight.

Irish pianist Patrick O'Byrne has considered every performance of works for two pianos a special mission. He said it is not easy, due to the nature of the instrument.

"If you don't feel the music of both of you and you have to constantly synchronize the notes, then the performance becomes stiff and unnatural. To create a natural duo, you have to know your partner very well musically. I have known Artem for 16 years. He came to Bremen, where I was teaching, to study with me. He was an extremely talented young pianist and we worked on many things together. He won competitions and achieved great successes," said pianist O'Bryne.

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He said that interpreting came naturally to Pristina.

“Then I had the idea to play together at a university concert. We tried it out and everything happened naturally, without having to talk. There was no need to say ‘we’re not in sync’ – everything worked out by itself. So we gave one concert, then others – in Korea, in Asia and in many other countries as a piano duo. So I was very happy when he said to me: ‘Will you come to Prishtina?’ – and I, of course, accepted immediately,” he said. Since 2002, pianist Patrick O’Byrne has been a professor of piano. He has performed around the world as a soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Symphony, the Bochumer Sinfoniker, the New York Virtuosi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, among others. Born in Dublin and raised in New Zealand, the pianist has received international acclaim for his interpretations of contemporary, French and Spanish music, and his repertoire includes every style.

He said that the history of the work fits the relationship between him and the Ukrainian pianist.

"As for Francis Poulenc's work, I adore it. It is a very beautiful work and the composer himself considered it the best he had written up to that point in his life. He composed it to be performed with his friend Jacques Riviere and they played it together, as they had known each other for many years - just like us. For me this is very important: a natural collaboration, without straining," he said.

At the end of the performance, the audience's applause brought them back on stage three or four times. While they played a pure duet, without interference. They performed Darius Milhaud's "Brasiliera", a dance full of rhythm and energy of samba.

Conductor Petrovic considered this work to be a mixture of styles.

"Francis Poulenc's music is a special composition that has not been performed before in Kosovo. It is wonderful French music, a beautiful blend of neoclassicism, impressionism, contemporary pop music and jazz - an extraordinary combination with the two fantastic pianists who have come: an Irishman and a Ukrainian," he said.

The second part of the concert was a true artistic highlight. With its powerful rhythms and unstoppable energy, Ludwig van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7" unfolded as a vibrant celebration of life and freedom.

According to the conductor, the work is "exactly what we wish for the region and the world."

He said he feels deeply ashamed and revolted by Serbian politics.

"It is a violent and very sad reality. The invitation of the director and general manager of the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra for me as a Serbian conductor to lead this Orchestra shows that this country is emancipated, developing, freer and more democratic - values ​​that we would like for our country. Meanwhile, in Serbia, I do not know when an Albanian conductor from Kosovo will be able to conduct the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. This speaks volumes about the differences between these two countries. I congratulate you on your development and emancipation", said conductor Petrovic.

Part of the orchestra he founded are also violinists Visar Kuqi, Festim Fanaj, Rron Bakalli, Pleurat Doli, Mrika Hoxha and percussionist Patris Berisha. He said that these instrumentalists, with whom he has collaborated for years, have made him feel at home. But that he has also created the same relationship with the rest of the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra. This has given him the feeling of the friendliest orchestra he has conducted in his entire career.

"...then I realized that all the musicians are extremely friendly and I have to say it honestly: I have never conducted such a friendly orchestra in the world before. They are excellent musicians, but also very good people, and this week was simply wonderful," said Petrovic.

The concert was praised by the distinguished conductor and composer, Rafet Rudi. For him, Friday's concert is a departure from the "closed circle" of the repetitive classical and romantic repertoire. He also emphasized the leadership of the Orchestra by the Serbian conductor.

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"In general, it must be said that the Orchestra was 'revived' by the temperamental and extremely ambitious leadership of the young Serbian conductor, Premil Petrovic. Even the very fact of the appearance of a Serbian artist on the standard Pristina stage was, in a way, a highlight of the evening. I wonder when the Belgrade stage (freed from their stifling prejudices) will be able to listen to any of the Kosovar artists who, although not in large numbers, are conquering the European and world stages," he said, who, as always, was again critical of the conditions in the hall, which he referred to as inhumane.

The Kosovo Philharmonic held a concert on Saturday. The Vocal Ensemble of the Kosovo Philharmonic performed at the “Autostrada Hangar” in Prizren, under the direction of Rafet Rudi.