My parents have always tried to widen our view of the world through music, concerts, ballets, and sometimes musicals. Georgia, like many other countries, is extremely rich with culture, music being a part of it of course. I’d say Georgians however are proud of the Georgian National Ballet – Sukhishvili, which we have managed to see twice already in different versions. And now, once again, at the Tsinandali festival in the Kakheti region. Annually, it was in September, offering a different insight into Georgia as a whole and allowed listeners to experience famous pieces from composers all around the world at the same time, in the span of 10 days. Just the views of the Caucasus range over the wide wine vineyards in the morning made it worth going. Later in the evening we then attended two performances at the festival, both truly breathtaking.
First, we visited the Sukhishvili ballet performance. This time it was a two-hour program by the directors Iliko and Nino Sukhishvili, telling the story of the fights, suffering, and heroism of the Georgian people, as they said. The men really surprised us with their ability to twirl around on their knees, jumping up repeatedly and then landing back on the hard floor, all while fighting with their swords until sparks flew into the audience. I think this very much displays that the people of Georgia are born fighters. And on the outside, especially in the Svaneti region, the looks of some men show they could kill. But they would never act harsh to their guests and our very kind people on the inside. Our four-day hike in this region and watching the film Dede, made to show the customs of these people, gave us a great insight into this. We learned that in the harsh conditions of places around this country like Svaneti, often completely blocked from connections with any major cities in the winter, its people simply had to know how to survive in the mountains of Caucasus. The blood in the veins of Georgian men had always been like this, all throughout its history. If one’s woman was kidnapped, these men killed. Of course, it is so different in the times we live in now, but this ballet symbolizes the history and culture of this country, which they are very proud of.
The women then appear on the stage to quite different music, and really float around on their toes, displaying their beautiful, long, yet quite simple gowns around the stage. Only this mixture of the two tell us about the roots of Georgia. From my point of view, having lived here for the past 4 years, it was so typically Georgian to see the stunning ladies glide around the stage like swans, their heads up high. That is one thing you can say about all Georgians – they are a very proud nation. When you visit a typical Georgian household, in the span of 10 minutes they will start sharing their family’s history. And then the history of their town. And Georgia. On the other hand, they will always fill the table for their guests in hospitality, even if they won’t be able to eat for the next week.
The second concert we visited was a stunning maybe hour and a half program of a piano trio. We listened to the works of Smetana and Mendelssohn performed by Boris Giltburg on piano, Kristof Barati on violin and Edgar Moreau on the cello. This experience really got me thinking about how music moves people in different ways. I watched the whole time as a part of the audience just closed their eyes and, as I would imagine, let the music take their mind somewhere nice for the whole time. Some, which I wasn’t as surprised by, spent the whole performance filming, basically watching the concert on their screens. I thought this was such a pity, because experiences like these are meant to be enjoyed, and not spent by caring about the right filming angle and then getting carried away onto Instagram reels. And then there were people who really examined the music. I could almost see the analyzing train of thought that went through their heads at that moment. Then there were some who had never attended such an event before, from local farms I would assume, who either broke into slight tears, or just left.
And it was insane how I, as a kid, could already assume the life and mindset of these people. And that’s why I love music so much. It moves people in so many ways.
Sep 8 | Day 9 | 2024 | 12:00 – Tsinandali Festival
Sep 7 | Day 8 | 2024 | 22:00 – Tsinandali Festival
