The highlight of this is the first modern recording of the Taktakishvili concerto. Born in Tiflis, the Georgian composer Otar Taktakishvili often incorporated Georgian themes,...

The highlight of this is the first modern recording of the Taktakishvili concerto. Born in Tiflis, the Georgian composer Otar Taktakishvili often incorporated Georgian themes, both ancient and original, as the basis for his highly idiomatic compositional style. While still a student at the Tblisi Conservatory, Taktakishvili won the Republic contest for his Georgian Anthem (1945) and upon graduation two years later launched his musical career as an accompanist, choral director and conductor. In 1966, he became Professor of Music at the Tblisi Conservatory. He received the Lenin Prize in 1982 and also served as the Secretary of the USSR Union of Composers and as the Minister of Culture of Georgia. The piano concerto recorded here is an early work composed in 1950 and premiered the next year in Tblisi. Several themes of the Concerto are derived from Russian folk songs. The Korean pianist Jungran Kim Khwarg received a scholarship from the President of the Republic of Korea which allowed her to study at Juilliard. Today she lives and studies in California. The Korean conductor Dong Hyock Hyun is currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and the Music Director and Conductor of the Golden State Philharmonic Orchestra.