CARMINA BURANA

Saturday, July 13
Square of the St. Tryphon Cathedral, 9:30 p.m.
CARMINA BURANA
Gala opening dedicated to Maestro Miroslav Homen
    
Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the National Theater of Opera and
Ballet of Albania
Choir of the Narodni Heroj Savo Ilić Elementary School, Kotor
Rovena Xhelili, soprano
Matias Xheli, tenor
Armand Likaj, baritone
Robert Homen, conductor
Vesna Ivanović, conductor

PROGRAM

Carl Orff (1895 – 1982)
Carmina burana, concert performance of the cantata
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi / Fortuna, vladarka svijeta
1. O Fortuna
2. Fortune plango vulnera / Gorko plačem zbog Fortune
I. Primo vere / Proljeće
3. Veris Leta facies / Vedro lice proljeća
4. Omnia sol temperat / Sunce sve ublažava
5. Ecce gratum / Evo blagog
Uf dem anger / Na pašnjaku
6. Tanz / Ples
7. Floret silva nobilis / Cvjeta šuma
8. Chramer, gip die varwe mir / Prodavče, daj mi boju
9. Reie / Kolo
10. Were diu werlt alle min / Kada bi cio svijet bio moj
II. In Taberna / U krčmi
11. Estuans interius / Iznutra izjeden
12. Olim lacus colueram / Po jezeru sam plivala
13. Ego sum abbas / Ja sam opat
14. In Taberna quando sumus / Kad smo u krčmi
III. Cour d’amours / Ljubavno udvaranje
15. Amor volat undique / Ljubav svuda doleće
16. Dies, nox et omnia / Dan, noć i sve
17. Stetit puella / Stajala djevojka
18. Circa mea pactora / U mojim grudima
19. Si puer cum puellula / Ako mladić s djevojkom
20. Veni, veni, venias / Dođi, dođi, dođi ti
21. In truitina / U duši
22. Tempus est iocundum / Vijeme je baš lijepo
23. Dulcissime / O najdraži moj
Blanziflor et Helena / Blanciflor i Helena
24. Ave formosissima / Zdravo najdivnija
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi / Fortuna, vladarka svijeta
25. O Fortuna / O Fortuna

Partner of the program:

Originally founded in 1950, the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Albania became an integral part of the Albanian National Opera and Ballet in 1953. From its beginnings through to the present day, it has played an essential role in all the stage activities of the Theater. Since 1990, the Orchestra has had the honor of touring in Italy, France, Turkey, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, and Belgium. In recent years, the Orchestra has gathered musicians educated at prestigious universities of music in Prague, Leipzig, Sofia, and, of course, Tirana. The Orchestra has been conducted by renowned artists, starting with maestro Mustafa Krantja, and including Rifat Teqja, Simon Gjoni, Ermir Krantja, Fiqiri Kraja, Bujar Llapaj, and Edmond Doko. Their repertoire includes productions of opera and ballet performances alongside hundreds of works of symphonic, vocal-instrumental, instrumental, and program music by both Albanian and foreign composers. The Orchestra’s interpretations have been highly acclaimed for their pure and refined sound and lavish sound colors. The Orchestra has made numerous recordings for Albanian Television. It has also featured numerous works by Albanian authors, such as Zadeja, Zoraqi, Daija, Ibrahimi, Dizdari, and Peçi, among others, as well as a variety of symphonic works of the world’s greatest composers.

The choir of the Public Institution – Narodni Heroj Savo Ilić Elementary School has existed since the school's founding in 1982. The first conductor of the choir was Silva Milošević, a music teacher. Since 2014, the choir has been led by Vesna Ivanović, also a music teacher. The choir nurtures a wide repertoire of compositions: classical children's songs, popular songs, and works by local authors. It actively participates in all important school and city events and has showcased its skills beyond the borders of Montenegro. The choir traditionally collaborates with the Mandolin Orchestra of the Tripo Tomas Croatian Civic Society.

Rovena Xhelili, soprano, embarked on her singing journey under the guidance of Zina Zdrava. After completing her studies at the Jordan Misja Artistic Lyceum in Tirana, she graduated from the University of Arts in Tirana in 2019, under Professor Agim Duro. Rovena Xhelili has continued her artistic development through masterclasses with pedagogues such as Ermonela Jaho, Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi, Francisco Araiza, Anna Pirozzi, Jean Bernard Thomas, and Elda Laro. Of particular note is a masterclass where she performed A. Ramirez’s Missa Criolla and compositions by J.S. Bach: Tilge Hochster meine Sunden and Christ lag in Todesbanden, conducted by Swiss-Argentinian conductor Facundo Agudin and Albanian conductor Suzana Turku. In 2018, Rovena Xhelili joined the choir of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Albania, taking part in significant concerts such as Carmina Burana, Ennio Morricone Concert, and Opera Soul Concert. At this theater, she has made her debut in various roles including Pamina (Die Zauberflöte, W.A. Mozart), Serpina (La serva padrona, G.B. Pergolesi), Oscar (Un ballo in maschera, G. Verdi), Adele (Die Fledermaus, J. Strauss), Frasquita (Carmen, G. Bizet), and Adina (L’elisir d’amore, G. Donizetti). Rovena Xhelili has performed in numerous concerts across Albania, Switzerland, France, North Macedonia, and Kosovo.

Matias Xheli, tenor, belongs to the younger generation of artists. At the age of twenty-four, he has already achieved notable roles and is one of the freshest and most promising tenors of his generation. He began his career with roles such as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini, Uldino in Attila by Giuseppe Verdi, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Matias Xheli, with his bright tenor voice and musical interpretations, has made special contributions in works such as Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini.

Armand Likaj, baritone, began his musical education in his hometown of Shkodra. He first pursued Vocal Studies at the Academy of Arts in Tirana as a baritone under Professor Burhan Spahiu, and later specialized in Italian bel canto at institutions such as Nicola Piccini in Bari, the Accademia Musicale Internazionale (AMI) in Perugia under the guidance of mezzo-soprano Carmen Gonzales, and the Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro under the renowned maestro Alberto Zedda. Since 2010, Armand Likaj has served as a soloist at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana. He has appeared in over seventy operatic roles including Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, Papageno, Figaro, Don Profondo, Henry VIII, Escamillo, Germont, Renato, Lescaut, and others. Additionally, he showcases a repertoire spanning spiritual, classical, chamber, and contemporary music. Armand Likaj has appeared in numerous concerts both domestically and internationally – in Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Austria, France, Finland, Kuwait, and Nicaragua. He is a winner of national and international competitions and has received the Albania Excellence award for his contributions to opera. Also notable was his triumph at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, where he performed a selection of operatic works by Giacomo Puccini.

Robert Homen, conductor, pursued his musical education in Piano at the Academy of Music in Sarajevo, and later at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, focusing on Conducting. With a specialization in symphonic and operatic conducting, he has collaborated with nearly all prominent orchestras and opera companies in Croatia, including the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, the OSRH Symphony Wind Orchestra, and the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, among others. He currently serves as a Guest Conductor at the National Theater in Sarajevo, the Croatian Radiotelevision Choir, and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra in Podgorica. Previously the Director the Palma Choir of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Zagreb, and presently, he now leads the Lira Mixed Choir of the Jewish Community of Zagreb, along with the Lovro Ježek Cultural Artistic Society Wind Orchestra in Marija Bistrica. Since 2014, Robert Homen has been a member of the Gospodnetić Singers vocal ensemble, which has achieved gold medals at the International Venezia in Musica Competition and the Berlin competition in the contemporary polyphony category. Additionally, he actively engages in expert committee work at vocal ensemble and choir competitions, as well as wind orchestra festivals, and conducts conducting seminars both domestically and internationally. Robert Homen holds the position of Full Professor at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.

Vesna Ivanović, conductor, completed her elementary education at the Public Institution – Narodni Heroj Savo Ilić Elementary School and the Vida Matjan School for Primary and Secondary Music Education in Kotor. She graduated in General Music Pedagogy from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. During her studies, Vesna Ivanović sang in choirs under the baton of Darinka Matić Marović, Bojan Suđić, and Zubin Mehta. Since 2009, she has worked as a Solfeggio Teacher at the Vida Matjan School for Primary and Secondary Music Education, a Music Teacher at Kotor Gymnasium, a Music Teacher at the Public Institution – Ivo Vizin Elementary School, and a Choir Teacher at the Public Institution – Tivat Music School. Starting in 2014, she has served as a Music Teacher at the Public Institution – Narodni Heroj Savo Ilić Elementary School. For twenty years Vesna Ivanović was a choir member of the Jedinstvo Serbian Singing Society in Kotor and today actively sings in the Incanto female vocal group from Kotor.