KANCHELI: SYMPHONIES NO. 6 & N

Cugate Classics is pleased to release the complete symphonic works of the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions. Djansug Kakhidze conducts the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra.

Giya Kancheli (1935 - 2019) was and still is the best-known Georgian composer, celebrated for his mastery of silence and his (deceptive) simplicity. Giya Kancheli’s career as classical composer started in the 1960s after first attempts with chansons and popular songs, his first symphony was accomplished and premiered in 1967 in Tbilisi, conducted by Djansug Kakhidze. Actually, as Kancheli emphasized repeatedly, many of his works were composed assuming that his close and lifelong friend Kakhidze will conduct them.

In total, Kancheli composed seven symphonies, the opera “Music For The Living”, the liturgy “Mourned By The Wind”, “Light Sorrow”, music for films and theatre plays and a number of chamber works like “In l’istesso tempo” (1997) or “Chiaroscuro” (2010), released on ECM and interpreted by Gidon Kremer.

Kancheli’s compositional approach is deeply rooted in the music of his Georgian origin and blends modern elements with a beautiful but deceptive simplicity, a melancholic tone and a captivating silence - qualities he shares with the great Arvo Part. But Kancheli developed his own musical idiom, and his death on October 2nd, 2019 is a great loss for the world of classical music.

Cugate Classics honours the great Georgian composer with an selected CD program: all seven symphonies plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions and conducted by the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kakhidze.

”... a great musician of the modern age ...” - Rodion Shchedrin

” ... the biggest philosopher among today’s composers ...” - Volker Tarnow / Fono

Cugate Classics is pleased to release the complete symphonic works of the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions.

Djansug Kakhidze conducts the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra. This edition gives us Kancheli’s “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned by the Wind”. Giya Kancheli (1935 - 2019) was and still is the best-known Georgian composer, celebrated for his mastery of silence and his (deceptive) simplicity. Giya Kancheli’s career as classical composer started in the 1960s after first attempts with chansons and popular songs, his first symphony was accomplished and premiered in 1967 in Tbilisi, conducted by Djansug Kakhidze. Actually, as Kancheli emphasized repeatedly, many of his works were composed assuming that his close and lifelong friend Kakhidze will conduct them.

In total, Kancheli composed seven symphonies, the opera “Music For The Living”, the liturgy “Mourned By The Wind”, “Light Sorrow”, music for films and theatre plays and a number of chamber works like “In l’istesso tempo” (1997) or “Chiaroscuro” (2010), released on ECM and interpreted by Gidon Kremer. Kancheli’s compositional approach is deeply rooted in the music of his Georgian origin and blends modern elements with a beautiful but deceptive simplicity, a melancholic tone and a captivating silence - qualities he shares with the great Arvo Part. But Kancheli developed his own musical idiom, and his death on October 2nd, 2019 is a great loss for the world of classical music. Cugate Classics honours the great Georgian composer with an selected CD program: all seven symphonies plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions and conducted by the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kakhidze.

“... a great musician of the modern age ...” Rodion Shchedrin

“ ... the biggest philosopher among today’s composers ...” Volker Tarnow / Fono

Cugate Classics is pleased to release the complete symphonic works of the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli plus "Light Sorrow" and "Mourned By The Wind", all in newly remastered versions. Djansug Kakhidze conducts the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra. This edition gives us Kancheli's Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 and 5.

Giya Kancheli (1935 - 2019) was and still is the best-known Georgian composer, celebrated for his mastery of silence and his (deceptive) simplicity. Giya Kancheli's career as classical composer started in the 1960s after first attempts with chansons and popular songs, his first symphony was accomplished and premiered in 1967 in Tbilisi, conducted by Djansug Kakhidze. Actually, as Kancheli emphasized repeatedly, many of his works were composed assuming that his close and lifelong friend Kakhidze will conduct them.

In total, Kancheli composed seven symphonies, the opera "Music For The Living", the liturgy "Mourned By The Wind", "Light Sorrow", music for films and theatre plays and a number of chamber works like "In l'istesso tempo" (1997) or "Chiaroscuro" (2010), released on ECM and interpreted by Gidon Kremer. Kancheli's compositional approach is deeply rooted in the music of his Georgian origin and blends modern elements with a beautiful but deceptive simplicity, a melancholic tone and a captivating silence - qualities he shares with the great Arvo Part. But Kancheli developed his own musical idiom, and his death on October 2nd, 2019 is a great loss for the world of classical music. Cugate Classics honours the great Georgian composer with an selected CD program: all seven symphonies plus "Light Sorrow" and "Mourned By The Wind", all in newly remastered versions and conducted by the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kakhidze.

"... a great musician of the modern age ..." Rodion Shchedrin

" ... the biggest philosopher among today's composers ..." Volker Tarnow / Fono

Cugate Classics is pleased to release the complete symphonic works of the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions. Djansug Kakhidze conducts the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra. This edition gives us Kancheli’s Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7.

Giya Kancheli (1935 - 2019) was and still is the best-known Georgian composer, celebrated for his mastery of silence and his (deceptive) simplicity. Giya Kancheli’s career as classical composer started in the 1960s after first attempts with chansons and popular songs, his first symphony was accomplished and premiered in 1967 in Tbilisi, conducted by Djansug Kakhidze. Actually, as Kancheli emphasized repeatedly, many of his works were composed assuming that his close and lifelong friend Kakhidze will conduct them.

In total, Kancheli composed seven symphonies, the opera “Music For The Living”, the liturgy “Mourned By The Wind”, “Light Sorrow”, music for films and theatre plays and a number of chamber works like “In l’istesso tempo” (1997) or “Chiaroscuro” (2010), released on ECM and interpreted by Gidon Kremer.

Kancheli’s compositional approach is deeply rooted in the music of his Georgian origin and blends modern elements with a beautiful but deceptive simplicity, a melancholic tone and a captivating silence - qualities he shares with the great Arvo Part. But Kancheli developed his own musical idiom, and his death on October 2nd, 2019 is a great loss for the world of classical music. Cugate Classics honours the great Georgian composer with an selected CD program: all seven symphonies plus “Light Sorrow” and “Mourned By The Wind”, all in newly remastered versions and conducted by the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kakhidze.

”... a great musician of the modern age ...” Rodion Shchedrin

” ... the biggest philosopher among today’s composers ...” Volker Tarnow / Fono

Classical Music

Classical Music

Giya Kancheli's cult reputation as one of the most profound musical voices of our time has not always been matched by the availability of his music on record. These world premiere recordings of works written (or recomposed and arranged) between 2016 and 2018 are thus a significant contribution to the Kancheli discography. They find the composer at his most charming and epigrammatic in a series of 25 musical 'letters' for violin and string orchestra. Most of them are under three minutes in length, taking their material from themes written by the Georgian composer for the film scores which he has composed throughout his career. Compared to his more celebrated concert works such as the symphonies and cantatas of often starkly imposing and monumental expression, these letters strike a more whimsical, often wistful tone. The subjects - to whom they are addressed - are mostly actors and directors who have worked on the films scored by Kancheli. But there are also pieces written with palpable affection to performers such as the composer Jansug Kakhidze, who have championed his music over the years, to fellow composers such as Bidzina Kvernadze, and to artistic friends such as the writer, puppeteer and painter Revaz Gabriadze. The project was initiated by the violinist Andrea Cortesi, who had asked for a piece for violin and string orchestra. Kancheli returned to a cycle of 18 miniatures he had written for violin and piano with Cortesi in mind, and then further back to a collection of 33 piano-only miniatures. Kancheli explains this in a booklet introduction, complemented by a fuller essay from Cortesi, making this album an authoritative recording of Kancheli at his most appealing - perhaps the ideal introduction to his unique voice.

This album offers delightful chamber music of Giya Kancheli, regarded as one of Georgia’s greatest composers. The 18 Miniatures for violin and piano draw from music Kancheli wrote for plays and films. As he explains, he chose “the themes I especially cherish” for this set. His trio, Middelheim, is dedicated to the doctors of the Middelheim Hospital in Antwerp, where Kancheli received a dramatic resuscitation in the winter of 2016. About the Miniatures, Kancheli said, “While dedicating myself to symphonic and chamber music, I simultaneously wrote music for the stage and screen. No wonder, then, that certain themes originally intended for plays and films made their way into my larger works. ”Piet Koornhof has recorded many albums for Delos, including Violin Plus One and Frolov & Friends, both with pianist Albie Van Schalkwyk, who also performs with Koornhof on this album. They are joined by cellist Susan Mouton for the mesmerizing Trio, Middelheim. Together, these works take the listener on a fascinating journey.

REVIEW:

These are late works, and both are worthy of attention. …there will be listeners who buy this CD and listen to the 18 Miniatures with a rapt expression on their face… These performances, by three South African musicians recorded in that country, seem very good… Middelheim, like many of Kancheli’s works, challenges performers to keep the music moving forward even when the tempo is close to glacial, and Koornhof, Mouton, and van Schalkwyk surmount that challenge. The engineering is excellent, and the booklet note by Sandro Kancheli, the composer’s son, complements the music well.

-- Fanfare

Giya Kancheli is one of the few Georgian composers whose works are well known beyond the borders of his homeland. On her album “Poetry of Silence” the pianist Ketevan Sepashvili, also from Georgia, presents Kancheli's 33 Miniatures for Piano. The short pieces are all based on works for film or theater, which were his main areas of activity over a long period of time, and represent a broad cross-section of Kancheli's creativity from almost four decades. Four of the miniatures can be heard with additional flute, and the Twelve Miniatures for Voice and Piano were also arranged by the pianist for the trio cast, which introduces an additional tone color particularly well suited to the songs. Sepashvili is supported by her compatriots Temo Kharshiladze, flute and Madina Karbeli, soprano.