This album was recorded on March 5, 2024, in the Concert Hall of the Svetosavski Dom in Niš, Serbia, using a C. Bechstein D 282 Concert Grand piano.
Album & Artwork
This album is the first to gather piano works by composers from the Balkans, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Performer Biography
Amir Xhakoviq, the pianist on this album, is an Albanian pianist who has won multiple first prizes at international competitions, including the EPTA competition in Tirana and the International Competition in Prishtina.
Album & Artwork
Many pieces on this album have never been recorded before, and most have never been released on an international label, having previously been performed only within their national borders.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album also features composers who intentionally 'ignored' folklore as a primary means of national or regional identification, aligning their musical style with the broader Western classical canon.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's program is designed as a 'Balkan mosaic,' intertwining influences from Western classical music with typical folk melodies and rhythms of the region.
