President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, in her capacity as patron, declared the 66th edition of the “Ohrid Summer” Festival open this evening.
According to her, “Ohrid Summer” symbolizes and records a long and rich memory and history, an educational and enlightening mission, newly opened musical and theatrical horizons, cosmopolitanism, interstate, international, intercultural and interpersonal understanding.
For the President, Ohrid is an oasis and refuge of art, an environment in which music, words and dance become a symphony, and Samoil’s city is a summer home for top artists who present themselves in the most beautiful manner.
“When Rostropovich made his cello sing and cry in the city of Saints Clement and Naum, and Carreras, as if Orpheus had challenged the birds, their performances not only took the breath away of those present, but also merged into the lake waves, united with the sounds of church bells and flowed through the Samoil fortresses, telling stories”, the President said.
In the end, she pointed out that the “Ohrid Summer” Festival is a source of poetics of peace and love, confirming that art is a vital need and benefit.
This year’s edition of the Festival began with the gala concert “Love”, performed by world-famous opera artists Ermonela Jaho and Charles Castronovo, accompanied by the National Opera and Ballet and under the baton of Marco Boemi.
The integral text of President Siljanovska-Davkova’s speech is below:
Respected artists, dear art lovers, beloved Ohrid residents,
We are together again, in the theater of the ancient city of Lychnidos. The night has fallen over the lake; the sky and the water have melted into a tender embrace; the stars are twinkling above us; the shadows are dancing around us while we are in anticipation of the love shock and the artistic ecstasy, ready to sink into the dream of the summer night.
I do believe that we are all anxiously awaiting the opera fairy Ermonela and the lyrical magician Charles, accompanied by the artists of our artistically experienced National Opera and Ballet, under the baton of Marco, who has been friends with the world’s greatest opera stars for three and a half decades.
Let me remind that sixty-six years ago, under the arches of St. Sophia, our opera diva Ana Lipsha-Tofovic sang the first festival tunes, marking the beginning of the “Ohrid Summer” that still lives on.
Ever since then, many generations have enjoyed the privilege of associating with top musical and theatrical figures, known, adored and desired on the most famous art stages, as exceptional creators of high spiritual achievements.
“Ohrid Summer” remembers, symbolizes and records a long and rich memory and history, an educational and enlightening mission, newly opened musical and theatrical horizons, cosmopolitanism, interstate, international, intercultural and interpersonal understanding, destroyed prejudices and lessons learned, cultural diplomacy and a universal artistic language.
Ohrid is an oasis and refuge for art, an environment in which music, words and dance become a symphony, a spiritual pearl and filigree. Samoil’s city became a summer residence for top artists who presented their most beautiful.
When Rostropovich made his cello sing and cry in the city of Saints Clement and Naum, and Carreras, as if Orpheus had challenged the birds, their performances not only took the breath away of those present, but also merged into the lake waves, united with the sounds of church bells and flowed through Samoil’s fortresses, telling stories.
I believe that it is not by chance that Lake Ohrid murmurs so beautifully, sometimes gently, sometimes terribly, as if it were a concert or drama stage.
The “European Galapagos”, the million-and-a-half-year-old Methuselah, is not only a natural wonder under the protection of UNESCO, but also a faithful witness to many civilizations, languages and cultures that have met and existed on its shores over the centuries, fighting but also creating.
We live in a world of divisions, conflicts, wars, fears, insecurity and uncertainty. Humanity is going through labyrinths; dignity, solidarity and hope are faced with enormous challenges. Unlike politics, which is far from the art of the possible, music and theater, that is, culture, remain creators of the impossible.
If the fire that Prometheus gave to man illuminated the night, then creativity has been illuminating his consciousness and conscience for centuries. In this sense, “Ohrid Summer” is a source of poetics of peace and love, confirming that art is a vital need and benefit.
I am sure that you do not need to be born in Ohrid like me, or to be an Ohrid resident, to understand that it is no coincidence that it is a Macedonian cultural metropolis, and as such – an ideal place for a top cultural and artistic event like the “Ohrid Summer” Festival.
Allow me, with immense joy and special honor, to declare the 66 th edition of the “Ohrid Summer” Festival open.
