Maria Gjosevska, one of Macedonia’s most renowned pianists, once again lived up to her high praise at last night’s “Ohrid Summer” festival, demonstrating elite performance standards on the four-hand piano alongside her colleague Slavica Mitsovska-Smilevska.
The two virtuoso artists showcased a solid repertoire in the field of classical music. The first part of the concert was dedicated to the Peer Gynt Suite by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, which is stage music for dramatic texts by the famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The music united various stories from the world that inspired the author to write. The second part of the concert featured Mozart’s Sonata for Four-Hand Piano, and the beautiful evening concluded with two suites by French composer Maurice Ravel, “Mother Goose” and “Spanish Rhapsody.”
“We have been collaborating with Professor Slavica Mitsovska since our high school days because we are the same generation. Later, during our studies, we parted ways a bit because I studied in Skopje in the class of Professor Boris Romanov, while she studied in Sofia in the class of Professor Zheni Zakharieva, but after our studies, we reconnected. We are also united by our care for a talented young pianist, Goce Zlatev, who represents the future of Macedonian piano music and who is currently achieving international success. Professor Slavica is his primary teacher, and I support them as a mentor. He graduated this year from the State Music and Ballet School Center ‘Ilija Nikolovski-Luj’ and will continue his studies abroad. Therefore, Professor Slavica and I decided to celebrate his successes and our joint collaboration with a concert at the most beautiful and renowned festival, ‘Ohrid Summer,'” said pianist Gjosevska.
Both exceptional pianists, who with their beautiful melodies touched the hearts of the audience in the church “Saint Sophia,” are recipients of numerous awards and recognitions both domestically and internationally.