Rowing the boat in a sea of memories.
Story by Andi Bica
Reliving the early nineties, was a nice emotional experience to me. Studying the years of blessed youth , but do not let yourself dot luxury , without remembering that part of the change that came in Tirana after Communism from the music phenomena. Not referring to the musical currents of youth discos and TV scenes that had understood their impact on the opening of the senses for every coeval in Albania .
Another sound was coming gently from the city center , even tilt Clock , sweet entering straight into the heart of the former capital city just touched without fear freedom of expression . Sitting on the balcony as the former cafeteria Municipality of Tirana before , people stood waiting to start after eight o'clock evening . Leaving out the door with glass windows dirty clothes of the tumults of stress and were carried all eyes and ears to Tirana Orchestra corner . There waiting to hear that breathing gas and the magic to start happening.
I am not able to explain or analyze the phenomenon and the artistic vocal values of the well known singer Kasem Hallulli, but as a friend of his family , culture journalist and active spectator I am trying to impart a little of the ashes of that unrepeatable emotion .
Kasem launched the holidays when the evening entertainment was without end and people liberate themselves from expressed all the day loads and isolated life years deprived of speech and expression of a different opinion . This other language unloading the pain he knew , he did practiced and showed better than anyone else among the musicians around him.
One of them the offspring of several generations Tirana s tradition of Stradivarius realized, Albanian , violin maker Ramadan told me Fountainhead former lyrical nights . Touching different violins in his modest laboratory for instruments at the University of Arts , Professor Rami discovered me some black and white photos from the explosion of passion who seemed as a quartet between the popular and civil musicians.
Kasem told me in our friendly conversations about the admiration he conserved for his grand parents as the native from Tirana, the mayor Zyber Hallulli who kept alive the orphanage a year after national Independence as a devoted philanthropist . Kasem himself was a direct example of studying and loving the European values. He escaped from the North Albania borders at the late 80s to find in Vienna, Austria a better musical education for his son Eduard.
Revert to effect Hallulli s voice . Musicality felt when communicating freely but his the ritual singing was higher .Sound of dreams carried me away from reality motivated towards a world free with necking of love feelings.
Full expression of his acoustic guitar as an extension of the soul , with a simplicity magic to take with them in history passionate feeling myself as to movies and cheery song of pain or Puzzle with Mr. Volare Domenico Modunio.
Serenade '' as '' Amara Terra , " Boats are heading " , " Little Country girl" were diamonds in necklace Kasem repertoire to his interpretation that take a different light and nuance more vital than in previous and subsequent interpretations .
'' The boat is leaving , beyond the harbor , raised the flag of travel , was a girl ... with a guy ! "
Modunio’ s fate will affect both the absolute consent of the local public and tourists , as well as the rejection of some media executives time and confronting the challenge to the mediocrity that met the first recordings on Radio Tirana . Understandably it was the only Albanian radio then . As the first official records are stored in fund Audio archive fund voice or radio as proof of the value of the performers and a part of the puzzle missing years to the list of popular music in the Center .
A sudden feeling of happiness and sadness overwhelmed and it was touching the radio voice of the trio of songs " What works crochet girls " , " I ' had climbed through vapor " , " vest with '' are . After this test with myself realized mentality Kasem time in a few years with a lot of love over five albums and several concerts and recitals being the protagonist in the Albanian State Television New Year program .
Singing to the softness of Albanian girl, Kasem gave value to the noble and the hectic fevers as an impressionistic painting like Renuar in voice , easy and healthy dancers between natural landscape .
" But working with girls crochet, … after you I was burned from your charm ! "
After a long time I learned the real meaning of the term “Ashik”. The urban and popular singer Paul Shkarpa told me about the medieval orchestra and the traditional music authors in Berat city, such as Shyqyri Fuga and his best friend in arts from Elbasan city, Jusuf Myzyri as timeless creativity . In this different point of view I feel today in the quality of an Ashik, the artistic portrait of the inspired singer Kasem Hallulli.
" Is there a God ? " – are the word of an old song from Tirana which describes a local Love Legend , seeing it the same as the Albanian Romeo and Juliet story. The place is located in the west of Tirana , a Park in the region of Ndroqi area , guarded and written in his books by the Austrian traveler JG Hahn , and followed by generation of dwellers , told by the fire , felt the meeting point in time in history with legend . After these coals from the fire of love, I looked more clearly inside the musical landscapes and beauties of this land in the center of Albania .
Kasem was not alone in his style between modernity and musical heritage , he often gave the loan - loan - value received by popular singers like Fitnete Rexha and Emma Qazimi .
As an artist guided from passion, he knew how to collect willfully forgotten songs kindly reserved to holders of old age , even tracked visiting villages deeper regional re-enable them wary of using words and sounding their original source .
Sometimes I wake up early in the morning to start a new painting but the magic happens only when I hear the voice of Kasemi, playing in the tape by an old cartridge or finding in you the hosting sounds of his classic guitar from the computer in the background. This is the right time to create.
As the song tells the artist spirit is like a flower:
'' I am a delicate flower in the vase ... a not touching flower! "
Kasem Hallulli was the voice of those winters relaxing nights after December to early 90s , he warmed the air of his urban public with beautiful sounds and brought a different star light to Tirana as a cultural metropolitan city.
This Wind of Change was invisible and arrived more slowly , but took place in the shared memory significantly by the pilgrim visitors.
Published in Albanian language at the Swiss newspaper:
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