I also saw the Kosovo Philharmonic perform Carmen, a 17^th century German operetta based on the life of Ali Pashe Tepelena, and Mozart's Requiem for the first time in the Red Hall. It's not the performances I remember so much as the feelings associated with each of them. And despite what people might say about the interest in listening to classical music in Kosovo, I've never attended a performance by the National Philharmonic that was less than half full. If everyone in Kosovo was aware of the Philharmonic's performances and their cost – and if more of them were offered in different towns across Kosovo, I guarantee that people would attend. The “most Kosovars don't like books/classical music/theater” argument is what spoiled city people say to make themselves feel important. Give people the opportunity to enjoy something, and they'll take it, whether it's an opera or a play. And no, operas and plays are not “high” art – they are the Top 40 Hits and telenovelas of a couple hundred years ago – hardly even a blimp in the course of history.

To get back on point: the Balkans is the perfect place for symphonies and operas. What other place knows more about love and tragedy? What other part of the world thrives on drama to the same extent? Audiences in Prishtina clap along when they feel like it, and give standing ovations that last for minutes. The Kosovo Philharmonic is a source of civic pride, and we're not afraid to show it. As a counterpoint, audiences of performances that I've seen in North America are not less appreciative – just less expressive. They give things a chance to impress them, and even if they aren't impressed, they'll stick it out until the end. My Prishtina experiences have made me very impatient with music that doesn't move me. For all of Toronto's fine stages, I've only been to a handful of operas that I can say have made me feel something. All technique, and no soul. I also miss audiences that are not afraid to express how they feel and think. That's what goes through my mind when I see groups of bored people waiting for the bathroom during intermissions in Toronto, or read articles praising avant garde performances that are technically accurate but not emotionally true.

We are expressive people, and don't let the very polite surface fool you. It's just there as a counterpoint to the drama queens we really are. Think of every single conversation full of gossip you've ever overheard, every argument between two old men that you've seen, or all the attention given to a guest by a hostess – we gesticulate and yell and cry, we are affectionate and annoying, and that's what we are like as audiences too. Maybe not all the time and for all performances,  but when those moments happen, they are magical. They make everything else stop.  They make us one. It's something to be proud of. 

The Philharmonic doesn't have an official website or I would link to it. But the choir does have a Youtube channel, and Kosovo Guide also does a pretty good job of announcing upcoming festivals and events where the Philharmonic performs in their events section.

The article was originally written in English.  

Photo Credit: Info Globi 

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