Georgian traditional music
Spectacular and splendid, folklore has always been the first calling card Georgia offers to foreigners. Rediscovered in the 19th century by intellectuals in Tbilisi and then developed by Soviet ideology, it has since been irrigating Georgian music as a whole - from classical to jazz to variety. Ancestral (it certainly predates the introduction of Christianity into the country) and mainly vocal, the Georgian musical tradition is famous for its variety of polyphonies. Characterized on the whole by their singular changes in tonality, the polyphonies vary enormously from region to region. Religious polyphonies are the finest and most complex. As ancient and sophisticated as they are, polyphonies with similar rhythms can be found in Svanetia. More widespread, in Kakhetia and Kartlie, polyphonies include one or two voices rising above a prolonged bass. These melodies with a very oriental sound are undoubtedly the most engaging and the most majestic, even if they are the simplest. Finally, Western Georgia has a virtuoso type that consists of two-voice songs above a buzzing bass. It is in Guria that the polyphonies are the most complex, increasing this type of phrasing to seven voices. Some songs are accompanied by percussion. Mainly performed by men, mixed songs are rare and female songs mostly deal with trivial themes. One last type of Georgian song, the Tbilisi song, is not polyphonic. This music is called kalakuri
, "urban", which cultivates more oriental sounds, very close to Armenian or Turco-Persian music. It is often a unique song (male or female), accompanied by percussion and doudoukis (nasal flutes).Since the 1970s, many very good artists have distinguished themselves in the interpretation of Georgian folk music - especially polyphony. While ensembles such as Kelaptari, Sukhishvili (the Georgian National Ballet) or Basiani have been very successful in Georgia, Rustavi and later Georgian Voices have managed to carve out a place for themselves on international stages. By the way, chances are you've heard them before. Georgian Voices performed alongside Billy Joel and the most famous ensemble Rustavi is on the soundtrack of the Cohen brothers' film The Big Lebowski. Often a cappella, folk music is accompanied according to styles and regions by traditional Georgian instruments such as the zourna (oriental type clarinet), the stivi (close to a bagpipe), the doudouki (nasal flute also present in Turkish and Armenian music), the tchongouri, a very beautiful object with four strings, similar to the pandouri which has only three. We can also hear quite a few percussion instruments such as the doli (drum), the daïra (larger drum) and the diplipito
(made up of two drums fixed on a board). If the slightest celebration is an opportunity to hear traditional music, it is often staged in shows that can be seen, for example, at the Nabadi Theatre (named after a folk costume) on Roustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. The place being particularly oriented towards tourism, one will undoubtedly prefer to look at the programming of the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera Housewhich occasionally welcomes very good folklore groups or listen to them at the table in certain establishments such as Tamada, an "ethnographic" restaurant.Classical music
Historically, the two great names of classical music in Georgia are Zakaria Paliachvili (1871-1933) and Gia Khantcheli (1935-2019). The former is the country's most famous classical composer, considered the founder of the national music and author of the opera Daissi
(1923) from which the Georgian anthem is taken. He is particularly interesting to listen to as he combines folk and scholarly music. Gia Khantcheeli, for his part, is the most famous contemporary composer in Georgia. Author of seven symphonies, he has also made a name for himself by composing for film and theatre. He is the most exported Georgian composer, especially to the United States. His music is inspired by religious liturgy and folk music, in a clearly postmodern structure.That said, as soon as one pronounces "classical music" and "Georgia" in the same sentence, it is impossible not to think of Khatia Bunyatichvili. Nicknamed by her detractors "the Betty Boop of the piano" because of her wardrobe, this prodigious pianist is admired as much as she annoys. Yet, author of stunning interpretations and incomparable sensuality, Khatia Buniatichvili is a direct descendant of Martha Argerich. Without a doubt one of today's finest pianists. Another soloist adored by the French, the violinist Lisa Batiachvili shares with her compatriot to be one of the current references in her field and her instrument. A country in love with the voice, Georgia obviously has some very good lyric artists. Among them, let us mention the mezzo-sopranos Anita Rachvelichvili and Nino Surguladze, the coloratur soprano Nino Machaidze or the bass George Andguladze.
Contrary to what the name suggests, the Philharmonic - also known as the Tbilisi Concert Hall - does not programme classical music. Much of Georgian classical musical life takes place in churches. At mass time, polyphonic choirs accompany the ritual; they are often magnificent. Otherwise, the best stage is that of the Vano Saradjichvili National Conservatory. This music school - the highest in Georgia - nestled in a beautiful neoclassical building also houses the country's only classical music concert hall (as long as the Plekhanov Philharmonic Theatre is closed). Very good up-and-coming artists are regularly seen there. Otherwise, after several years of renovation, the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera House reopened in 2016. If the building is magnificent, the interior is just as grandiose with its oriental decor, created by a German architect in 1896. One goes there to see opera classics, European ballet and some beautiful Georgian operas.Electronic music
Regularly, a new emerging capital of Eastern Europe becomes "the new Berlin ". Why is this? As soon as the city sees its electronic music scene grow richer and its nightlife awaken with plenty of hidden addresses to exchange under the cloak, it evokes the Berlin of the early 2000s, a paradise for clubbers. After Warsaw then Kiev (and a dozen others whose list we'll spare you), it's Tbilisi's turn to embody the "new Berlin ". It must be admitted that the underground scene is indeed booming and that the capital is becoming more and more crowded with quality venues. Among them, the iconic Club Bassiani, set up in a former disused swimming pool, is a must for fans, and the Khidi, hidden under a bridge, is one of the new gems in the city.
The dance
Alongside the classical ballet that dominates the opera stage, folk dance ensembles are much admired. And with good reason: apart from the folk aspect itself, the dancers are physically stunning virtuosité́. They dance on the top of their feet, jump with all their strength on their knees, throw a shower of daggers on the floor at a frenetic speed, squeeze, turn on their knees, etc. They have a great sense of physicality, and they are very good at it. It's a very impressive show. Faced with the male group parade, the role of the women is mainly to wear their costumes elegantly, to embody grace by moving quickly on tiptoes - as if they were slipping. The choreographies of the large ensembles are above all group ballets, millimetre-sized as possible - there is no room for improvisation.
The Sukhishvili National Ballet is, so to speak, the father of this type of professional ensemble, founded at the time when this formula was going to be established in all the Soviet republics. Founded in 1945 by the dancer-choreographer couple Nina Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili, the company has been led by three generations of Sukhishvili and is still the most renowned and popular ensemble in Georgia.
Many folk dances are programmed at the Nabadi Theatre as well as at the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera House (the Opera), but they can also be seen in luxury restaurants such as Maidan, which offers them to feed the prestige of the place.The theater
Georgia, and Tbilisi in particular, has a particularly dynamic theatre scene. There are an enormous number of theatres - the number of theatres per capita in Tbilisi is probably one of the highest in the world - and Georgians love to go there. The language barrier will no doubt stop the traveller; but an evening at the theatre can be extremely interesting for observing the capital's nightlife, and some shows communicate beyond language.
In Tbilisi, the large post-Soviet structures (Rustaveeli, Mardjanishvili, Tummanishvili theatres, the Paliachvili opera...) cohabit with a new generation of private theatres (Sardapi, of the Royal District, Tavisupali).
Some initiatives are very original (such as the puppet theatre of Reezo Gabriadzee or the finger theatre of an artist from Batumi), but compared to Western postmodernism, Georgian theatre as a whole can be described as classical. Two monuments of Georgian dramaturgy are worth knowing: Robert Sturua (1938) and Revaz Gabriadze (1936). The former has been the leading theatre director in Tbilisi since the 1970s and until recently was director of the Chota Roustaveeli Drama Theatre, the most prestigious in the country. He has gained international recognition for his personal interpretation of the works of Shakespeare and Brecht and his singular, very physical and surrealist style. Revaz Gabriadze is an essential part of Georgian cinema and is also very present in the theatre. He is the screenwriter of some thirty films, including the greatest classics of national cinema. A multifaceted artist, he also excels in sculpture, drawing and painting. His most famous play is The Battle of Stalingrad where the narration is done from the perspective of horses killed on the battlefield or a young soldier in love.
