Baroque meets Jazz

A video from the concert

On May 10, 2024, the musical evening “Baroque Meets Jazz” was performed in the hall of the Pallati i Brigadave in Tirana. This concert evening was conceived with a diverse program featuring repertoire from the Baroque era and Jazz-Baroque works by composers from across Europe, in celebration of Europe Day.

Producer – MUZA Center

The program featured works by Baroque composers such as Antonio Vivaldi (Italy), George Frideric Handel (England), Johann Sebastian Bach (Germany), Johann Joseph Fux (Austria), and Joseph Nicolas Pancrace Royer (France), performed by Albanian and international artists.

A special highlight of the evening was the appearance of Italian countertenor Pasquale Auricchio, who prepared especially for this program the Arbëreshë folk song “Vajta, kalova gjithë Kalabrinë” (“I Went Through All of Calabria”).

Performers

Linda Kazani – Soprano

Pasquale Auricchio – Countertenor (Italy)

Xhovana Marku – Oboe

Jusuf Beshiri – Harpsichord

Juan José Francione – Archlute (Spain)

Xhudi Dodaj – Violin I

Erind Haxhiasi – Violin II

Anxhelo Xhaja – Viola

Remino Sula – Cello

Baroque Program

Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto in G Minor
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Vergnügen und Lust” Cantata BWV 197
Arbëreshë traditional song – “Vajta kalova gjithë Kalabrinë”
J. N. P. Royer – “Le Vertigo”
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi – “Chi disse, che la femmina”
Johannes Joseph Fux – “Allelujah”
Christoph Willibald Gluck – “Amour viens rendre à mon âme”
George Frideric Handel – “Let the Bright Seraphim”

In addition to the authentic Baroque composers, the second part of the program featured a chapter dedicated to 20th-century composers who reinterpreted Baroque music and its famous themes through Jazz improvisation. In this way, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Friedrich Handel was performed with a Jazz band ensemble featuring:

Erald Simixhiu – Piano

Emil Zaharia – Bass Guitar

Emiljan Dhimo – Drums

Elvis Rudi – Flute