Kristaq Antoniu, a lyric singer, tenor, and then baritone, and a people’s artist, passed away in Tirana. He was born in Korça, in 1909. He emigrated at a young age to Romania, where in 1928 he graduated from the Mimodramatic Academy of Bucharest and became known as a cinematographer. He toured Europe as a concert and operetta singer. He returned to Albania in 1933, and from that year, he became a member of the group of lyrical artists led by the pianist Lola Aleksi (Gjoka). After the liberation, he developed a rich artistic activity as a concert performer and as a soloist in the Opera and Ballet Theater, where he performed leading roles in the operas “Mrika” by Prenk Jakova, “Traviata” (Verdi), “Cavalleria Rusticana” (Mascagni), etc. He distinguished himself in interpreting classical concert repertoire (operatic arias, vocal lyricism) as well as urban folk music. He is among the first creators of the tradition of interpreting urban songs from Korça. He stood out for the timbral beauty of the voice, drama, and vocal strength. (In the photo: Kristaq Antoniu)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 81.
Photo: © https://www.facebook.com/groups/185380084871106/search/?q=Kristaq%20Antoniu
Graphic processing: AHCF
