As part of the Kaštela Cultural and Entertainment Summer, the concert "Around the World with Ana Opačak" was held this Wednesday in the packed Vitturi Castle, offering the audience a memorable musical evening - tender, emotional and culturally rich.
Charismatic singer Ana Opačak took the audience on a musical expedition across several continents, combining languages, cultures, and genres into a unique musical experience that is remembered for its feel.
The ambiance of Vitturi Castle, located right on the seashore and surrounded by history that exudes from every stone, perfectly complemented this musical evening. The stone hall under the light of a summer evening and the echo of Ana's luxurious voice created an almost cinematic atmosphere.
Before the concert itself, Ana shared with us her personal insights into how this musical concept came about:
– This is a musical expedition through several continents tonight. It always comes naturally to me. I say that I am focused on my primary profession. I graduated in English and Italian, and I really love the French language and culture, and even Spanish. All of that has always been intertwined. When I learn a language, I want to explore both the music and culture of that language - Ana points out.
It is this connection between language and music that has become the guiding thread of her concert programs:
- Since I am a musician, it was natural for me to include songs that I love, and that I discovered while learning languages, in my concert programs. So I put together a program of songs that are dear to me and that the audience loves. I thought about how to unite them under a name, considering that they come from different languages and parts of the world. That's how the name 'Around the World' was born. It's not some innovative idea, but a way to bring the audience closer to what will be at the concert.
The audience was presented with a program that spanned Europe, North and South America, and included songs in Croatian, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and even in the Brazilian musical style.
– We will focus on Croatian, English, Italian, French, Spanish and a little Portuguese and Brazilian music. This is nice, summery, as befits a summer evening like this. Songs like 'Volare', 'L'appuntamento' – said Ana.
Ana performed the songs 'Bésame mucho', 'Girl from Ipanema' and 'Over the Rainbow', and included a few songs from her album, as well as a few Croatian classics that fit into the program. The audience enthusiastically greeted each performance, and Vitturi resounded with applause after each song. Filled to the brim, the atrium was almost breathing with Ana and her subtle, emotional interpretations.
– This will be colorful, culturally and stylistically rounded out through the arrangements of my dear colleague, pianist Jurica Karuza. In this intimate edition of piano and voice, we put different genres and languages under the same common denominator and connect them. We are all used to talking about pop, rock, classical music and jazz, but there are so many nuances and finesses between them - said Ana, who did not hide how important interpretation is to her:
– I can say that I am closest to that mixture of pop, jazz, pop rock, chanson and canzona. I always like to put the emphasis on good lyrics, on musical poetry. One does not have to know the language or understand it, but it is important that the one who sings is not only a singer, but also an interpreter who manages to convey emotion and tell a story, even if there is a language barrier. The best compliment I get is when people say that they do not understand, for example, French, but that I made everything closer to them and explained it, that they got goosebumps. That is the best thing for me, because it means that the story has been told - she emphasized.
A trip around the world with Ana Opačak was a gentle, inspiring and deeply emotional concert experience, in which culture, languages, music and humanity came together – and left a mark on everyone present.
Photo: Andrej Valentić
