“I discovered what lies hidden behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ of Tirana”

Last week, the German Producer Michael Sturm staged Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opera “Fidelio,”an opera, which according to Sturm carries accentuated political notes and rises up against every kind of dictatorship. But as he declared to the Albanian daily, “Shekulli”, after having been in Tirana for some time, the way he conceived “Fidelio” changed.
“When the proposal was made to me to stage “Fidelio”, Maestro Zhani Ciko asked for a political version, according to the German style which would penetrate Albanian audiences, so that it would open up the channels of thinking and talking about their own history. I thought this was very interesting, and this is the reason why I am in Tirana,” he said in an interview for the above newspaper. “I came in August and stayed for four days. This permitted me to create an outstanding impression about this country, and its people. I read a great deal of history. I saw so many things I had had no idea of, and everything had such an impact on my work, so when we actually began working, I had formed a different opinion. The vision I had of “Fidelio” changed. In Germany, I presented this work on stage with a completely different style, another way of looking at things, in compassion with the Tirana production. Between “Fidelio” and Albania, your history, the communist regime that destroyed so many values here, a sound parallel may be drawn. There is always a huge potential to offer something more to a public through Art,” he said.
Asked if he had heard of Albanian before, Sturm replied that in the time of Dictator Hoxha, he had been very curious to know what lay behind the Iron Curtain. I would ask myself, what this country wasŮnow I am here and I found it very interesting,” he admitted.
The Opera, “Fidelio” was staged in Tirana for the first time on 19 September. It is a co-operation between the Ballet and Opera Theatre and the Germany Embassy in the context of the “German October,” 20th anniversary of Albanian-German relations.