Djansug Kakhidze The Legacy Vol. 8 by Nodar Gabunia, Piano / Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra / Djansug Kakhidze (CD)

Reminiscence of the famous Georgian conductor Djansug Kakhidze on the occasion of his 80th anniversary two years ago. 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 much-vaunted 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 consists until now of 8 volumes, which give a kind of summary of Kakhidzes artistic legacy. 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. 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.

released January 1, 2020

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