The National Opera and Ballet made an unforgettable evening at the “Ohrid Summer”
A rich program from the classical repertoire, from Romanticism, through classicism and verism, offered the soloists of the National Opera and Ballet (NOB) from Skopje to the gala concert that took place last night within the framework of the Ohrid Summer Festival.
The Prima donna of the opera scene, Vesna Ginoska Ilkova, NOB’s first and full professor at the Faculty of Music Arts, together with her colleagues, the soloists Blagoj Nacoski- tenor, Nade Talevska-sopran and Irena Kavkalevska-mezosopran, in the church “St. Sophia” lavish voices and carefully chosen repertoire.
– I think that I and my colleagues have given a program that was satisfactory and respectable for the performance itself. I am very glad that we worked in quite the same lineup last year, and this year too. Due to our various phahs, especially Blagoj Nacoski, we do not have very frequent communication on the stage, but I am very pleased that in this way we work together, said soprano Ginoska-Ilkova.
According to her, the performances of “Ohrid Summer” represent a representative element, both of the national institution from which she comes, as well as for her as an artist-soloist.
-Ohrid summer as a prestigious international festival is well thought out in terms of the program. That’s why, we also gave a program that is at the level of the very renowned festival, added Ginoska-Ilkova.
Macedonian tenor Blagoj Nacoski, who captures the scenes of the most prestigious opera scenes in the world, thinks that for opera singers a very important detail when it comes to “Ohrid Summer” is that the festival was opened 59 years ago with an operatic voice.
– In this setting, in this church, on August 4, 59 years ago, the Macedonian Opera and Ballet with Ana Lipsha Tofovic, declared the festival as opened. It may sound immodest, but for us, opera singers it is very important and it causes particular feeling and satisfaction. Due to my international obligations, I do not always have enough time to follow the festival, but what I see in the programs that are being played in the past years, I think that the Ohrid Summer has seen a huge increase, said Nacoski, who in 10 days appeared with recital of Sicily, and in October and November and a big tour in Japan where with “Traviata” will perform in 14 plays.
The soloists, conductors and ensembles of the National Opera and Ballet are regular guests of “Ohrid Summer” and for their performances they are always rewarded with stormy applause from the festival audience.
