Reminiscence of the famous Georgian conductor Djansug
Kakhidze on the occasion of his 80th anniversary. He belonged to
the small but highly prestigious group of East European
conductors who set up a cultural counterdraft to the political
conflicts in the times of cold war. He conducted almost every A
class symphony orchestra of his hemisphere and became a muchvaunted
advocate of late romantic orchestral repertoire.
Mvravinsky adored him for his Tchaikovsky interpretations and the
Neue Zürcher Zeitung called him respectfully „the Georgian
Karajan“. 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 other than 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 music and, if necessary, went
also to its limits. Sadly he passed away too early in 2002.
The anniversary collection consisted until now of five volumes,
which give a kind of summary of Kakhidzes artistic legacy. Vol. 6
will continue the Legacy and is the first sequel after the initial five.
The present release comes from the 24 bit /96 khz state-of-the-at
recordings out of the CuGate Classics archive. They are carefully
remastered by the prestigious Grammy award-winning b-sharp studio
Berlin using the original source material.
Liner notes in English.
DJANSUG KAKHIDZE was born in Tbilisi on the 26th of May, 1935. He
started his artistic career already during his studies at the Tbilisi State
Conservatory, where he graduated in 1958 from the Choir Conducting
department and in 1963 from the post-graduate courses for Opera and
Symphony Orchestra Conducting. In 1955-57 he was conductor of the
Georgian State Choir. In 1957 he founded the men’s vocal ensemble
“Schvidkatsa” (Seven Men), which in 1958 was awarded the Gold Medal at
the World Exposition in Brussels. From 1957-62 Djansug Kakhidze was the
Artistic Director and the Chief Conductor of the Georgian State Choir. From
1962-71 he worked at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1965 he was
appointed Chief Conductor of the Opera House and held the position till
1968. In 1971-73 he was working at the Opera Houses of Lodz and
Warsaw. On his return to Georgia in 1973, Djansug Kakhidze became the
Artistic Director and the Chief Conductor of the Georgian State Symphony
Orchestra. In 1993 he founded the new “Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra” and
led it until his death (2002). The orchestra achieved distinguished success.
During its concert tours to France, Switzerland, Luxemburg Turkey and
Germany it was praised as a highly professional orchestra of European
standards. During those years the orchestra also recorded more than 150
albums in collaboration with famous recording companies. In 1989 Djansug
Kakhidze founded the new hall for symphonic music in Tbilisi. The quality of
the hall was continuously improved so that as a result the Tbilisi Center for
Music and Culture was established there. It was and still is is the most
important spot of the musical life in the city. Djansug Kakhidze was the
president of the center until his death. Besides, the digital audio recording
studio was established in the Center of Music and Culture. For several years
now this studio continues to produce CDs, with a substantial share of
Georgian performers and composers. They are released internationally and
herald the Georgian musical culture abroad.