On Tuesday night, a concert is taking place in Tirana that will showcase 16 centuries of Albanian music in one evening.
The concert focuses on the work of Ramadan Sokoli, a famous Albanian musician, composer, writer, and ethnomusicologist. Over the course of the evening, the performed works will reflect his studies and the narration of Armand Broshkes.
Songs will be performed by Trio Reve with Adem Hasani on piano, Dardan Osmanaj on violin, and Ierg Zeqiri on cello.
According to organisers, Albanian music can be traced back 16 centuries to the Middle Ages when Nikete Dardani wrote the famous Te Deum, which later inspired famous composers such as Hadyn and Mozart. Other representatives from the 14th Century and beyond include Jan Kukuzelin, Gjergi Danush Lapacaja, Ismail Dede Efendi, Anton Sorga, Lec Kuri, Fan S.Noli, and Thoma Nasi.
The concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Metropol Theatre.
It is hoped that the arrangement of these different genres of music, including hymns, folk, opera, and symphonic, in a classical trio will make it more accessible to a diverse age group.
Sokoli (1920-2008) is regarded as one of the greatest scholars of Albanian and Balkan music. He dedicated his life to studying musicology and folklore, becoming one of the few known personalities in this field. He also taught music, including flute, musical folklore, music history, chamber music and more at the Jordan Misja High School.
The concert takes place at the Metropol Theatre on Tuesday 24 May from 19:00. Entrance is free.
