THE LOVE AND LIFE OF THE WOMAN

“Music Without Borders” – a poetic story about “The Love and Life of the Woman”

Besa Llugiqi,  Denitsa Petrova and Tsveti Penyashki in a romantic evening with the songs of Schumann and Strauss

On 25 March, at 19.00 on the stage of the Stara Zagora Opera there will be presented the special edition of “The Love and the Life of the Woman” from the boutique series of chamber concerts “Music Without Borders” with the participation of the magnificent soprano from Kosovo Besa Llugiqi. The piano accompaniment is trusted to the pianist Denitsa Petrova, and in the role of the Romantic poet the spectators will see the actor and director of the Stara Zagora State Puppet Theater, Tsveti Penyashki. The audience will have the opportunity to enjoy a part of the valuable song creative work of the two German Romanticists, who “pour” their love in beautiful notes, inspired by their beloved women. Clara Wieck and Robert Schumann and Richard Strauss and his Pauline.

“The Love and Life of the Woman” through the eyes of Schumann and Strauss and told by the exciting poems of the known and unknown Albanian poets Besa Llugiqi turns to the song creative work of Robert Schumann and Richard Strauss during the pandemic and starts working with the famous Kosovo pianist Misbah Kacamaku. “I knew the songs, but till that moment I did not have the opportunity to go in-depth, to get in touch with a style, which is so refined and delicate. I fell in love from first sight in this style of singing, entirely different from opera singing. It develops the imagination and the most important is that it develops the vocal technique and provokes new horizons of musical interpretation. And another thing which impressed me and I liked a lot – the words are the most important thing, and the music is in full harmony and support of the words. Through the verses we tell the story, which the composer embedded and gave birth to in his thoughts. They create a unique atmosphere and without being aware we are enticed by an even stronger and obsessive emotion. The songs which I chose are very beautiful and I adore singing them. The text and the music look very simple, but it turned out that they are extremely difficult for interpretation.

The program of the concert includes the cycle of 8 songs by Robert Schumann Frauenliebe und – leben /The Love and the Life of the Woman and this is the title and the uniting line of the story. The songs by Strauss, which Besa Llugiqi chose to show are from different periods of his life and creative work.

We will hear the verses by the Albanian poets Ismail Kadare, Primo Shllaku, Fatos Arapi, Dritero Agolli, Timo Flloko, Andi Bejtja. The poetic texts are in the context of the original song poetry.