The Art-Music, Literature and Linguistics Forum

 Re: Nina Karnitskaya Piano Concerto played by the North Ossetian SO and the comment "note: this area was recently taken back by Russia from Georgia in 2004"

In fact it was South Ossetia that was occupied by Russia in the 2004 war. North Ossetia never left Russian control. The Ossetians are speakers of an Iranian language and are the remnants of the Scythians of classical times.

2008 war.

Meri Shalvona Davitashvili: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ka/7/73/Meri_davitashvili.jpg)

From the collection of Karl Miller

Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (1956)
Gulnara Kautoradze, piano
Georgian State SO/ Z. Khoradze
Source LP: Melodia 33D 10478




Mini Bio from IMDB:
Meri Davitashvili was born on November 14, 1907 in Melaani, Georgia, Russian Empire as Mariam Davitashvili. She was a composer and actress, known for Chkhikvta qortsili (1957), Tsuna da Tsrutsuna (1955) and Manana (1958). She died on August 4, 1975 in Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR.

Hi jowcol,

I think you mixed something up here. There are two Meri Davitashvilis, and the one who composed the piece you uploaded was born on March 13, 1924. Second name is Shalvovna (with two v's). Her first name is also referred to as Maria (therefore I guess Meri actually means Mary, by the way). I have found no reports about her death so far, so it could well be that just today, she is celebrating her 90th birthday.

Can you find a link for the appropriate Davitashvili?

Here are some:
http://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/composer/sov/45817/bio/ (http://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/composer/sov/45817/bio/)
http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_biography/17440/%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8 (http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_biography/17440/%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8)
http://www.musenc.ru/html/d/davitaqvili.html (http://www.musenc.ru/html/d/davitaqvili.html)

or just google for Мери Давиташвили 1924

By the way, regarding the correct spelling of the performers, the piano player is Gulnara Kavtaradze, and the conductor is very likely to be Zakhari Khurodze.

I have been able to obtain a copy of a 1966 complete performance of the opera "The Legend of Shota Rustaveli", made by the staff and students of the Tbilisi Conservatoire but never released.  It's in the downloads section.  About 70 minutes long.

Tbilisi Conservatoire Opera Studio Orchestra and Choir
Conductor – Zakatia Khurodze
Soloists, Tbilisi Conservatoire students and postgraduate students:
Shota – A. Gogolashvili
Tamar – Elza Garsevanishvili
also: V. Kublashvili, A. Kenkia, N. Goguashvili, G. Rekhviashvili, Anzor Shomakhia, T. Togonidze etc.

Note - Shota Rustaveli is revered in Georgia as that country's greatest writer. Believed to have lived approx 1160-1220.  His novel or epic poem, 'The Knight in the Panther Skin', can be recited at length by most Georgians.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shota_Rustaveli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shota_Rustaveli)

Queen Tamar (or Tamara)  is regarded as one of Georgia's greatest monarchs - ruled 1184 to 1213. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamar_of_Georgia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamar_of_Georgia)


I could only find a Synopsis of the opera in Georgian - I'm afraid that putting it through Georgian translate doesn't tell us much:

The content of this opera is taken from a Svan legend.

In his youth, Shota Rustaveli fell in love with one woman, who after a few years forgot about studying abroad and started another. Returning to his homeland, Shota, as a celebrated poet, invited Queen Tamar to a hunt for the magnificent development of Georgia.

One young boy will come to Shota in joy and proclaim:

"All this is good, great poet, but why not pay attention to what's happening in your home."

"What are you saying, boy, what is wrong with my house?" "Go and see for yourself what is going on."

Are going through. The dance is in full swing.

Shota enters the house at a time when his wife, Abdul-Arabi, a Shota's servant, has fallen in love. The viewer of this picture was Shota Jawr. And the young lad comforts her. Shota, an angry man from Bohemia, tells the boy that he should not show this behavior to him. In doing so, he makes a mistake, and because of this mischief, he pulls out a dagger to kill him, but sees the seal on his boy's hand. The boy goes over his hat and Shota sees the woman's hair. It turned out to be his first baby (Nino).

The devastated Shota goes to the monastery, and Nino kills Shota.

thanks!!

rkhenderson added to the "Georgian Music" download folder an unidentified Gudiashvili piano concerto. 

Robert, do you have a recording of another movement of this work?  The two-piano score was published in 1962 with the subtitle "Pictures of Nature" (rather than "Expanses of My Homeland") and has four movements instead of three:  Allegro; Andante cantabile; Allegretto; Allegro, each with a description (in Georgian) of a scene in the composer's homeland.  Only the first three movements are in the recording you uploaded.  Given the date of publication, this would appear to be pc4 (composed in 1961).  Gudiashvili wrote five piano concertos (1941, 1946, 1948, 1961, and 1980); I don't know if he composed of any other large piano-and-orchestra works.  Special thanks to Tony Tung and Malcolm Henbury-Ballan for help in working on this mystery.