THERE was an added poignancy to this concert by the Anchiskhati Choir from Tbilisi given the political turmoil at home. Dressed in striking black and cream militaristic-looking costumes with daggers in their belts, the all-male choir made a plea for
"peace everywhere" before launching into a robust folk chant.
While some of this music was sung to mark special occasions such as Christmas and Easter, more often than not the songs celebrated ordinary aspects of daily life. So there was a table song, joke, drink, city, travel, and love songs and even a work song, several of which were accompanied by the chonguri, a lute-like instrument.
The Georgian version of a bagpipe, the chiboni, caused much amusement when the player not only danced but also sang, in between breaths, a medley of Acharian melodies.
Many of the songs are for a lead singer and accompaniment and can be improvisational in nature. Gamkhiaruldi bukharo was a soulful version of a Kakhetian song launched in the Voyager spacecraft to represent human musical creativity.
It would have been interesting to have further details about the provenance of the music as well as lyrics to the narrative and historical songs – particularly the dialogue between a chariot driver and a bull and the one about a kidnapped man – in what was otherwise a fascinating and enjoyable insight into Georgia's rich musical heritage.
The full article contains 242 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
