Long and standing ovations for the Italian tenor Fantoni and the pianist Martano
With a repertoire of beautifully selected arias from famous Italian operas, tenor Alessandro Fantoni and pianist and harpsichordist Giorgio Martano from Italy last night caused strong emotional waves in the audience of “Ohrid Summer” which during the concert rewarded them with long standing ovations.
The two young artists performed as part of the traditional Italian evening of the “Ohrid Summer”, which is held every year with the support of the Embassy of Italy in the Republic of North Macedonia. The Ambassador of Italy in the country, Andrea Silvestri, addressing the audience at the beginning of the concert, said that he was honored to open this evening in, as he said, the pearl of Byzantine art, the church “St. Sophia”.
-During these 61 years, many Italian artists such as maestro Ennio Morricone were present on this stage which is increasingly prestigious internationally. “I am confident that the power of the two young and extremely talented artists, tenor Alessandro Fantoni and pianist Giorgio Martano, will enlighten the audience in this particularly magical atmosphere of St. Sophia Church,” said Ambassador Silvestri.
On this occasion, the Italian Ambassador paid tribute to the director of the Ohrid Summer Festival, Natasa Popovic, for organizing the entire festival, as he said, despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic.
-These events represent the hope that only culture and music can provide a better future for everyone. This is the hope we really need now. As Ambassador of Italy, I assure you that we will continue to strengthen the already excellent ties between the two countries in the field of cultural cooperation. This also refers to the beautiful Ohrid, a UNESCO city, added Ambassador Silvestri.
The impressive vocal technique of the opera singer Fantoni brought spiritual energy that filled the entire space of the Ohrid Cathedral. He sang inspiringly, from the heart and soul, and these exciting moments will be remembered by the festival audience for a long time.
– The acoustics in this church are wonderful and that is especially important for the music. I performed various opera arias. A similar repertoire as Pavarotti, but with different arias, such as Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana …. I want to sing newer arias such as “Romeo and Juliet”, but also traditional songs from Naples, said the famous tenor Fantoni who studied his voice on The Opera Academy at the Zurich Opera House, Switzerland.
The pianist Martano, who gained experience as a solo accompanist with a special affinity for the lyrical repertoire and received a degree from the Academy on the Milan Scale, was also impressed by the overall ambience in which he performed with his colleague.
– It is a great honor to be here, on the Italian night of “Ohrid Summer” which has a long tradition and to play traditional arias from our lyrical repertoire, from the traditional music of Naples to chamber arias by different authors. “I hope the audience enjoyed it,” said pianist Martano.
The concert within the Italian night of “Ohrid Summer” besides the Italian Ambassador Sylvester as host of the evening, was attended by the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Sweden to the country Christine Forsgren Bengson and Switzerland Sibil Zuter Tejada, as well as the Mayor of Ohrid, Konstantin Georgevski.
