The musical will premiere on June 10 with two other performances on June 11 and 12
TIRANA, June 6 – A musical mixing of Albanian folklore with contemporary elements will be the next premiere at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana. The “Ritual of Life” musical, created by Zhani Ciko, the Opera House’s director, will bring on stage three main phases of a human being’s life, the birth, the wedding and death– but in the reverse order. Arian Sukniqi, the musical’s director and choreographer says the performance starts with death and closes with birth in order not to leave the sad feeling to the public. “The musical has been treated in a contemporary aspect, it is totally Albanian in every concept and element” said Sukniqi in a press conference. The ethnographic performance brings together soloists of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Ensemble of Folk Dances and Songs. “Our desire was to bring the life of the Albanian ensemble and folk, to bring our ethnos closely connected to life and its cycles,” says Zhani Ciko. The Ritual of Life will premiere on June 10 with two other performances on June 11 and 12. It comes just a few weeks after the successful premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlos, a lyrical drama in four acts. The National Theatre of Opera and Ballet has scheduled to stage other premieres such as Puccini’s Turandot and parts by Stravinsky later this year. The big premieres the Opera House is staging will also be followed by Albanian and foreign instrumentalists such as a concert with parts from Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and another concert by Albanian born, US-based baritone Kreshnik Zhabjaku. This year’s programme will also bring concerts dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of late Albanian soprano Marie Kraja and commemorate the 25th anniversary of the debut of Albanian internationally renowned soprano, Inva Mula. The National Theatre of Opera and Ballet will be financially supported by Eagle Mobile which has become its general sponsor for the 2011-2012 period.
