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

MADE IN GERMANY

FAIRYTALE MUSIC

PIANO CONCERTO AMAZONS SUITE

This new release is the sequel of the successful Djansug Kakhidze Legacy on CuGate Classics. Just in time for the Schubert year (his 220th birthday), this volume contains three of his major symphonies, among which are the two last ones together with the charming fifth. On this album the “Georgian Karajan” as he was called by Neue Zurcher Zeitung, shows his affinity to the German Romantic repertoire. Unlike Karajan, however, Kakhidze does not only put all of his emphasis on the sheer beauty of the orchestral sound. He also investigates the disaccords in the music and does not hesitate to unfold it. Together with the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, which he founded in 1993, he shapes the character of this music and, when necessary, stretches it to its limits.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

This new release is the sequel to the Djansug Kakhidze Legacy. The first five volumes were released in 2015 as a reminiscence of the famous Georgian conductor Djansug Kakhidze on the occasion of his 80th birthday. He belonged to the small but highly prestigious group of Eastern European conductors who set up a cultural counterdraft to the political conflicts in the times of the cold war. He conducted almost every A class symphony orchestra in his hemisphere and became a much-vaunted advocate of late romantic orchestral repertoire. Mvravinsky adored him for his Tchaikovsky interpretations and the Neue Zurcher Zeitung called him respectfully “the Georgian Karahjan.” And indeed, although most comparisons go lame there were some similarities: the economical gestures, the endless working on sound perfection, the passion for big dynamics and a great affection for the Golden Age of classic and romantic music. But unlike Karajan he did not only put most of his emphasis on the sheer beauty of the orchestral sound, but also investigated the disaccords in the music and did not hesitate to unfold it. Together with the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, which he founded in 1993 he shaped the character of the music and, if necessary, explored its limits. Volume six is dedicated to his favorite composer Tchaikovsky, whom he accredited as already with the late symphonies with inimitable orchestral verve. In addition there is a reunion with another legendary Georgian musician, pianist Nodar Gabuni, who joins the maestro in a breathtaking reading of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

BELCANTO RUSSO

Since his studenthood at the Leningrad Conservatory Dmitri Shostakovich had developed a strong connection to cinema. In the twenties of the last century he earned his living as a pianist at silent movie theatres, and the influence of this new media, which became highly important in the young Soviet Union, went along with the composer for a lifetime, testified by an output of nearly 40 film scores. In 1955 Alexander Fainzimmer made a film based on the novel ''The Gadfly'' by the English authoress Ethel Lilian Voynich, which was extremely popular and a bestseller in the Soviet Union. It was about the tragic story of a young freedom fighter in 19th-century Italy nicknamed ''Gadfly'', who, as an illegitimate son of a cardinal ultimately turned into a rebelling dandy, who was finally executed by a firing squad. Shostakovich was intrigued by the plot and the environment where it took place, since this allowed him to play with Mediterranean musical patterns. Shostakovich's associate and friend Levon atovmian condensed the complete score down to a suite, consisting of twewlve movements, which were used for this recording. The single titles already give an idea of what the music is about - pure entertainment, characterising the moving pictures by means of the music. A contredanse recalling the 18th century, an Italian tarantella type characterising a funfair, unusual classical instruments such as saxophone and hurdy-gurdy reminiscences during a humorous waltz, a romance, which recalls the famous ''Meditation'' from Saint-Saëns ''Thaïs'' - this is musical mainstream at the highest level making the listening of this colorful and diverse suite a genuine pleasure. Georgy Sviridov's roots in Russian folk music made his connection to Alexander Pushkin nearly inevitable. So when in 1964 the film director Vladimir Basov planned a filmization of Pushkin's short story Snowstom, he approached Sviridov, who agreed by return. His musical depiction of the film, based on Pushkin's Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin, proves his talent and creativeness in folkloristic musical composition, using at teh same time romantic stylistic elemtns, including the large romantic symphony orchestra. The richness of his musical language inspired by the poetic strength of Pushkin's writing creates a scen tof Hollywood flavor, which might not e a coincidence. The last scene from Snowstorm ''Winter Road'' was allegedly plagiarized and used as the main theme for the popular video game series ''Metal Gear Solid''.

Konzerthaus Chamber Orchestra Berlin was founded in 2009 by members of the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, which has played under the direction of Kurt Sanderling, Claus Peter Flor, and more.

V2: KAKHIDZE LEGACY

STRING QUARTETS

STRING QUARTETS NOS. 3, 5, 7

In the 19th century William Shakespeare attained honors in Russian literary circles as a generic dramatist, whose works were looked upon as a conceivable model for the country's own theatrical evolution. So it was only a matter of time before Shostakovich as a versatile dramatic composer also felt attracted by the masterly English playwright. The first version of Hamlet was composed for Nikolai Akimov's stage production in 1932. After the war they continued their collaboration and released Hamlet in 1964 based on the original incidental music of 1932. Our album presents the eight movements Suite which Shostakovich's friend Lev Atovmian arranged with the approval of the composer. This condensed version is very effective, painting vivid pictures of the protagonists and the scenes. The Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Orchestra was called by Shostakovich himself a "mocking challenge to the conservative-serious character of the classical concert attitude." It is an overwhelming lot of ideas which are put together to a kind of kaleidoscope. One can identify a theme from Haydn, there is virtuoso piano playing with reminiscences of Liszt, Beethoven is present, Grieg seems to appear and even Hindemith leaves a trace by a foxtrot citation - in short: it is a bunch of musical flowers watered by irony. Shostakovich himself was convinced, that his String Quartet No. 8 was well adapted for an orchestral transcription. The first one for string orchestra was done by Rudolf Barshai, which is known as Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a the composer gave his blessings to. The version on this album however was arranged by Saulius Sondeckis for the St. Petersburg Camerata, adding timpani to the string section grounding the work with some sinster colors.