Georgian traditional music
Spectacular and splendid, folklore has always been Georgia's first calling card to foreigners. Rediscovered in the 19th century by the intellectuals of Tbilisi, then developed by Soviet ideology, it has since permeated Georgian music in its entirety - from classical to jazz to variety. Ancestral (it certainly predates the introduction of Christianity in the country) and mainly vocal, the Georgian musical tradition is famous for its variety of polyphonies. Characterized on the whole by their singular tonal changes, polyphonies vary enormously from region to region. Religious polyphony is the finest and most complex. Just as ancient and sophisticated, we find polyphonies with similar rhythms in Svanetia. More widespread, in Kakhetia and Kartlia, polyphonies include one or two voices rising above an extended bass. These oriental-sounding melodies are undoubtedly the most compelling and majestic, even if they are the simplest. Last but not least, Western Georgia has a virtuoso type, consisting of two-part singing over a buzzing bass. It is in Guria that polyphony is at its most complex, increasing this type of phrasing to as many as seven voices. Some songs are accompanied by percussion. Mainly sung by men, mixed songs are rare, and female songs usually deal with trivial themes. A final type of Georgian song, that of Tbilisi, is not polyphonic. This is known as kalakouri, or "urban" music, which cultivates more oriental sounds, much like Armenian or Turco-Persian music. It often features a single male or female vocalist, accompanied by percussion and doudoukis (nasal flutes).
Since the 1970s, many fine artists have distinguished themselves in the interpretation of Georgian folk music - and polyphony in particular. While ensembles such as Kelaptari, Sukhishvili (the Georgian National Ballet) and Basiani have enjoyed great success in Georgia, Rustavi and later Georgian Voices have managed to carve out a place for themselves on international stages. In fact, there's a good chance you've already heard them. Georgian Voices has performed alongside Billy Joel, and the Rustavi ensemble, the most renowned of all, was featured on the soundtrack of the Cohen brothers' film The Big Lebowski. Often a cappella, folk music is accompanied, depending on style and region, by traditional Georgian instruments such as the zourna (oriental-style clarinet), the stivi (similar to a bagpipe), the doudouki (a nasal flute also found in Turkish and Armenian music) and the tchongouri, a beautiful four-stringed instrument similar to the pandouri, which has only three strings. Other percussion instruments include the doli (drum), the daïra (larger drum) and the diplipito (two drums fixed to a board).
If traditional music is heard at the slightest celebration, 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. As Tbilisi is a particularly tourist-oriented city, you'll probably want to check out the program at the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera House , which occasionally plays host to some very fine folk groups.
Classical music
Historically, the two great names in Georgian classical music are Zakaria Paliashvili (1871-1933) and Gia Khantcheli (1935-2019). The former is the country's most famous classical composer, considered the founder of 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 art music. Gia Khantcheli is Georgia's most famous contemporary composer. Author of seven symphonies, he has also made a name for himself composing for film and theater. He is Georgia's most exported composer, notably to the United States. His music is inspired by religious liturgy and folk music, with a clearly postmodern structure.
That said, as soon as you say "classical music" and "Georgia" in the same sentence, it's impossible not to think of Khatia Buniatichvili. Nicknamed by her detractors "the Betty Boop of the piano" because of her dressing room, this prodigious pianist is admired as much as she annoys. Yet Khatia Buniatichvili, author of stunning interpretations, is a direct descendant of Martha Argerich. Undoubtedly one of today's finest pianists. Another soloist adored by the French, violinist Lisa Batiachvili shares with her compatriot the fact of being one of the current references in her field and on her instrument. Georgia is a country in love with the voice, and of course boasts some very fine opera singers. These include mezzo-sopranos Anita Rachvelishvili and Nino Surguladze, coloratura soprano Nino Machaidze and bass George Andguladze.
Contrary to what the name suggests, the Philharmonic - also known as the Tbilisi Concert Hall - does not program classical music. Much of Georgian classical music is performed in churches. At mass time, polyphonic choirs accompany the ritual; they are often magnificent. Otherwise, the best stage is the Vano Saradzhishvili National Conservatory. This music school - the highest in Georgia - nestled in a superb neoclassical building, is home to the country's most renowned classical music concert hall. Up-and-coming artists regularly perform here. Otherwise, after several years of renovation, the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera House reopened its doors in 2016. If the building is magnificent, the interior is just as grand, with its orientalist decor designed by a German architect in 1896. We go there to see opera classics, European ballet and some very fine Georgian operas.
Electronic music
Every so often, a new emerging Eastern European capital becomes "the new Berlin". Why is this? As soon as the city's electronic music scene is enriched and its nightlife awakened, with plenty of hidden addresses to swap under the cloak, it evokes the Berlin of the early 2000s, a clubbers' paradise. After Warsaw and Kiev (and a dozen others we'll spare you the list), it's Tbilisi's turn to embody the "new Berlin". It has to be said that the underground scene is indeed booming, and the capital is becoming increasingly densely populated with quality venues. Among them, the iconic Club Bassiani, housed in an old disused swimming pool, is a must for fans, and Khidi, hidden under a bridge, is one of the city's new gems.
The dance
Alongside the classical ballet that dominates the opera stage, folk dance ensembles are the object of great admiration. And with good reason: apart from the folkloric aspect itself, the dancers are of stunning physical virtuositý. They dance on the balls of their feet, jump with all their might on their knees, throw a shower of daggers on the floor at frenetic speed, fencing, spinning on their knees, etc. It's an impressive sight. Faced with the male group parade, the women's role is mainly to wear their costumes elegantly, embodying grace by moving swiftly on tiptoe - as if they were gliding. The choreography of the large ensembles is first and foremost group ballet, meticulous to the last detail - no room for improvisation.
The Sukhishvili National Ballet is, so to speak, the father of this type of professional ensemble, founded at a time when this formula was about to be established in all the Soviet republics. Founded in 1945 by dancers and choreographers Nina Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili, the company has been led by three generations of Sukhishvili dancers, and remains Georgia's most renowned and popular ensemble.
Many folk dances are performed at the Nabadi Theatre and at the Tbilisi Paliashvili National Opera House, but they can also be seen at luxury restaurants such as Maidan, which offers them to enhance the prestige of the venue.
The theater
Georgia, and Tbilisi in particular, has a particularly dynamic theater scene. There are a huge number of theaters - the number of theaters per capita in Tbilisi is probably one of the highest in the world - and Georgians love to go. The language barrier will undoubtedly stop the traveler in his tracks, but an evening at the theater can be an extremely interesting way to observe the capital's nightlife, and some shows communicate beyond language.
In Tbilisi, the large post-Soviet structures (Roustaveli, Mardjanichvili, Toumanichvili theaters, Paliachvili opera house, etc.) coexist with a new generation of private theaters (Sardapi, Royal District, Tavisupali).
Some initiatives are highly original (such as the Gabriadzé family's puppet theater, or the finger theater of a Batumi artist), but compared with Western postmodernism, Georgian theater as a whole can be described as classical. Two monuments of Georgian dramaturgy are worth mentioning: Robert Sturua (1938) and Revaz Gabriadzé (1936-2021). The former has been Tbilisi's leading theater director since the 1970s, and was also director of the country's most prestigious dramatic theater, Chota Roustaveli. He has won international acclaim for his personal interpretation of the works of Shakespeare and Brecht and his singular, highly physical and surreal style. As for Revaz Gabriadzé, he was a key figure in Georgian cinema, with a strong presence in the theater too. He was the scriptwriter for some thirty films, including some of the greatest classics of Georgian cinema. A multi-faceted artist, he also excelled in sculpture, drawing and painting. His most famous work is The Battle of Stalingrad, narrated from the perspective of horses killed on the battlefield or a young soldier in love. His son Leo Gabriadzé continues his legacy as artistic director of the Théâtre Gabriadzé.
