Soprano Darija Auguštan and tenor Filip Filipović under the direction of maestro Robert Homen and accompanied by the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra will sing in honor of the ladies tonight. The concert on March 8, Women's Day, will be held on the Big Stage, starting at 20 p.m.
The program will include timeless opera arias by Giuseppe Verdi, one of the most important Italian opera composers of the 19th century, followed by Giacomo Puccini, whose works are known for their rich melodies and emotional depth, and Gaetano Donizetti, who was able to express a wide range of emotions through music.
"Somehow we agreed together on the choice of compositions that we will perform. We wanted it to be a gala opera evening, to raise the atmosphere and make everyone happy. We were not guided by the fact that we must necessarily sing works written by women, in fact it is very difficult to find opera works written by female composers. I don't think there were any. But we have essential and important opera characters and the audience will hear those arias tonight. We also have masculine parts that are connected to them, so we will touch on male-female relationships through the repertoire", she confirmed in an interview with Vijesti Augustan.
Although well-known works are often in the repertoire of opera singers, they can also be a double-edged sword, precisely because they are known to the audience. However, Daria and Filip will bring the complete repertoire in their own way.
"It is important to stay true to yourself. If we find it in ourselves and if we search again every time we sing an aria, at least for me, it will be something different every time. I always change something so that I can experience it anew. That's why I'm sure that the audience tonight will also be interesting, no matter how familiar what we perform may sound to them. Simplicity is important, it's not a race, but we have to convey the emotions that come from the inside through that work, and that's why everything has to be simple and honest", explained Filipović.
The two have already had the opportunity to perform together many times, however, they decided to prepare a new aria for the Podgorica concert that they will perform together for the first time.
"We have new points, different arias and duets. For the first time, we sing a duet from Tosca, which is actually one whole scene, and it's a new challenge for us," Darija reveals, and Filip adds:
"It might not be for our voices if it were a complete opera production, however, we decided to single out that one moment and perform it. Perhaps the complete opera will await us at some future time. We decided to make something new and have the material to create a completely new energy".
In order for a work to be included in their repertoire, the most important thing for them is that, as they say, "the role has character".
"It is important that it is not one-dimensional and that it can develop during those three or four acts. That through it I can show different emotions, different scenes and the personal growth of that character. That transformation is very demanding to make in three hours, but for me it is the greatest joy and challenge," explains Darija.
The 19th century, from which Filip and Daria will bring works tonight, is often called the "golden age of opera". Today, this genre of classical music is not so inspiring for composers, but the interlocutors of Vijesti claim that quite enough works have been written, and that the choice is large.
"It is rare that a singer manages to sing all the roles he wants during his lifetime. Of course, there are soloists among us who research forgotten operas. Specifically, an opera by Papandopoulos, 'Amphitron', which was sitting in his drawer, was recently staged in our country, so the students of the Academy of Music from the National Academy of Music in Zagreb produced that work. New works are still being discovered, but I personally enjoy doing even those pieces that have been on stage a million times. It is important for me that I can get along with that role and that I can give it my personal stamp", said Darija.
Opera as a genre of classical music is gaining importance day by day, and the interlocutors of Vijesti hope that the hall at the Music Center of Montenegro will be full tonight. Free tickets can be collected at the ticket office.
"Opera has become popular in recent years. As there are more young musicians who are trained for opera singing, so is the repertoire, the number of performances, but also those who attend those concerts. In Zagreb, concerts like this are often sold out, which is a good proof that people love opera. Maybe the time has come for the opera renaissance to happen again, because people are not interested in going to the cinema and watching movies, but want to see something live", Darija is sure, while Filip points out that there are more and more people who want to explore the world of classical music .
"A lot of people, when they see it through the media, used to tell me that opera doesn't attract them, but the very experience of coming to the theater to watch the opera, the liveliness of everything, the orchestra and the soloists - that's something that no media can convey. That experience has to be lived in person. Only then do people remain enchanted and keep calling me for tickets, and I'm in trouble because they're sold out. So I think that it is slowly getting better and that there are more and more people who like to go to listen to and watch the opera," concludes Filip.
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