The catalogue
of Angelok1 is dominated by recordings made by the conductor
Vakhtang Jordania. The composer Redjeb Jordania - whose
Concerto Classico appears here - is his cousin. Vakhtang
was born in Georgia in 1943 and in 1971 won the Karajan
conducting prize. He defected to the USA with his famous
girlfriend, the violinist Viktoria Mullova, in 1983. There
he became music director of various state level orchestras
including those at Chattanooga and Spokane. He died in
Virginia in 2005.
Georgian
composers include among the more famous names Kancheli
(b. 1935) taken up strongly in the West (try ECM) and Andrea
Balanchivadze (1906-1992), Alexi Machavariani (1913-1995),
Sulkan Nasidze (1927-1996) and that doyen of Georgian composers
Zakharia Paliashvili (1871-1933). The latter wrote three
operas:
Absalom and Eteri (1918),
Daisi (1923)
and
Latavra (1926). Those who lived through the
late LP era may remember a DGG two LP set of the first
of these - a very exotic item at the time.
Sulkhan
Tsintsadze's
four
Miniatures began as a work for string quartet.
It became phenomenally successful and this gave rise
to the composer's string orchestra version as heard here.
To Western ears this work has a certain exoticism, a
quality familiar from the music of Hovhaness. In the
Shepherd's
Song we hear some memorable bagpipe effects. After
the heavily dancing first movement with its redolence
of Holst’s
Brook Green and
St Paul's,
the
remaining movements are more subtle and otherworldly.
Taktakishvili is
not unknown and a number of his works have been taken up
internationally. He wrote two symphonies (1949 and 1953),
two oratorios (
Eternal Burning Fireside, 1963;
In
the Steps of Rustaveli, 1964) and four operas:
Minidya (1961),
The
Robbery of the Moon (1976),
The Woman-Chaser (1977-80)
and
The First Love (1980). There are concertos for
piano (1950, 1975 and 1980s), violin (1957, 1976, 1987),
cello (1977) and trumpet. Many of these were recorded by
Melodiya in the 1960s and 1970s but few have reappeared
on CD which is a very great pity. An exception is the turbulent
Second Symphony which can be found - with some effort -
on Russian Disc.
The Georgian
highlands of Samegrelo are the homeland of the Megrelian
or Mogrelian language. The nine Taktakishvili songs with
orchestra, tenor and vocal ensemble are a vibrant example
of Soviet ethnic at its best. This is a work of romantic
soul and countryside enchantment. As folk-derived material
it can be bracketed with Canteloube's
Songs of the Auvergne and
Marek's similarly beguiling song-cycles (Koch). This one
is distinguished by the wild abandon and reflection of
the highland life - a little like that of the robber camp
in Szymanowski's
Harnasie. The difference is that
in the case of the Taktakishvili work the orchestra and
tenor are joined by the Rustavi Vocal Ensemble who contribute
with harsh fibre in the herding call of the
Odoia movement
which in effect recalls the Estonian, Veljo Tormis. Throughout,
Zurab Sotkilova takes his prominent role with what feels
like authentic folk flavour. This registers in much the
same way as the best altos and mezzos in de Falla's
El
Amor Brujo. The songs sound as if they have not left
behind the rustic humour of the workplace. For example,
try the happy shouted dialogue between soloist and choir
in
Little Jackal (song 10). From the odd low level
clicks this recording seems to have been taken from an
LP but the results sound very satisfactory indeed.
Redjeb
Jordania studied
with Karl Amadeus Hartmann. If you google him you will
find a
fascinating
interview.
His
Concerto Classico is said to have been inspired
by Prokofiev's
Classical Symphony but is for percussion
and wind orchestra. It is here presented in a single
30 minute movement. It is the most modernistic of the
works collected here. It has an unruly, dry, Stravinskian
grunt and thud and a brazen arrogant wheeze. It's clearly
a display piece for the percussionist. I hear no resemblance
to the Prokofiev. In a single 30 minute track the work
is quite indigestible. It's a pity that its segments
were not separately tracked. As it was I found that it
made little favourable impression on me although percussion
fans may find differently. I would like to hear other
music by Jordania but will pass on this one.
Do have
a look at
the Georgian Music website for further information.
A brave
cross-section of Georgian classical music: two hits and
a miss.
Rob Barnett
Strings
of Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra/Vakhtang Jordania (Miniatures);
Zurab Sotkilava (tenor); Rustavi Vocal Ensemble/Anzor Erkomaishvili;
Leningrad Chamber Orchestra/Vakhtang
Jordania (Megrelian); Alexei Amosov (percussion);
Winds and Brass of the Russian Federal Orchestra/Vakhtang
Jordania (Concerto) 
