endim Kapaj, the “Great Master”, the composer who made Albanian polyphony part of the soundtrack of the movie “The Odyssey”, currently works in the city’s cleaning services.
Kapaj who has a career of about 50 years in music and is known for his rare rendition of the flute and other musical contributions, has been left in total oblivion by the state.
Only recently, his name has been widely mentioned due to the fact that he is included in a film by Christopher Nolan and the well-known cast of actors of “The Odyssey”.
But the reality of this great master who took the thousand-year-old Albanian sounds to the heights of Hollywood is quite different from what it should be.
During an interview for the media, Kapaj said that he had accepted this job and that he wanted to be active in order to provide income for the family.
“I feel insulted to go up behind you and say ‘Aman, take me to such and such a place’. I’m just looking for a job,” he said.
Albanian iso-polyphony has become part of the soundtrack of Christopher Nolan’s latest film, “The Odyssey”.
The recordings were made in Vlora by the master of fiddle and dulcimer, Vendim Kapaj, in the presence of the composer Ludëig Göransson. For about five hours, the recordings took place in Kuzum Babai’s Manor.
The inclusion of Labe polyphony in the soundtrack has evoked many emotions among Albanians, but for the artist himself, his daily life is really far from such big scenes.
While the Albanian government urgently managed to allocate a fund of 4.2 million euros for the American rapper Kanye West, when it comes to people who value Albanian culture and raise the country’s name around the world, these funds are nowhere to be seen.
