Kristo Kono

Kristo Kono (17 July 1907 – 22 January 1991) was an Albanian composer and recipient of the People's Artist title in 1961, the highest artistic recognition title during the communist era. He was one of the early contributors to Albanian music and opera who spent all his life in their service; one of the symbols of the cultural traditions of his hometown of Korçë, same as other musicians as Tefta Tashko-Koço, Jorgjia Truja, and Kristaq Antoniu;

Early life and work Kono was born on 22 January 1907 in Korçë, back then still part of the Ottoman Empire, today's southeastern Albania. His interest in music showed up at a very early age. He followed the "Vatra" orchestral band in order to learn how to play the clarinet. In the 1920s he would start to compose songs and small instrumental parts.

Rise as a composer After World War II, Kono's artistic creativity intensified. He went deeper in the study of folk songs and patriotic songs. His big jump in fame came with the composition of major choral and instrumental works: instrumental poems and cantata. They were the first of their kind in Albania. The best known were the instrumental poems Borova (Borova) and Labëria (Labëria), and the cantata Malli për atdhe ("Longing for the homeland"). His most known concert-instrumental works consist of Fantazi shqiptare ("Albanian fantasy"), Valle shqiptare ("Albanian dance"), the fantasia Mezhgorani (Mezhgoran), and the poem for orchestra Bredhat e Drenovës ("Drenova fir"). Kono wrote many instrumental pieces of different formations, from suites for orchestra, ensemble pieces for flute, oboe, violin, piano, clarinet, etc. His operetta Agimi (The dawn) of 1954 paved the way for the development of opera in Albania. which was performed the first time in November 1961, is considered his masterpiece. It was performed several times by the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

Kono died in 1991 in Korçë.