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ANCHISKHATI, male band (Georgia)

“Georgian Sacred Music”

14. 11. 2015 – Saturday
8pm
Our Lady of Victory Church, ul. Łąkowa 42

phot. Ilia Jgarkava

About Christian Culture Festival

Christian Culture Festival was organized for the first time in 1997 on 10th Anniversary of the Logos Theatre. In a sense, it extends the idea of Christian Culture Weeks organized in Poland in 70s and 80s of the last century, which were to become counterpoise to lay media model promoted by the State. Lodz Christian Culture Days were organized in churches all around the city, so as to accommodate the artists, spectacles, exhibitions and projections.

One of such places was the John Paul lecture theatre in the vault of the Assumption of Holy Mother Church in Kościelna Street. This is where the Logos Theatre started, before it was moved to the church in Maria Skłodowska-Curie. It was this church that Archbishop Władysław Ziółek gave to the Lodz artists in 1993, and in which the Centre of Creative Communities’ of Lodz Archdiocese was appointed. It is here that the ‘logistic’ centre of the Festival is located, and where some of the Festival events take place.

Traditionally, the Festival takes place in November, on the first Sunday after All Soul’s Day. It usually lasts for two weeks, during which various event take place – spectacle premiers, other theatres come to Lodz, there are exhibitions of invited artists, performances of choirs and musicians, very often not to be seen anywhere else in Poland at any other time. The Festival programme is the result of the whole year’s work of rev. Waldemar Sondka, the Festival Director, who – using his contacts – invites artists who are interesting, out of the ordinary, noteworthy and creating art perhaps not always religious, but always searching and at the highest level. Care for the level of the Festival offers is a permanent rule, the Logos environment has always wished to provide the Lodz citizens with the possibility of contact with art deprived of parochialism, open to the man and as perfect formally as possible.

The Festival is not an activity that brings profit. Any entrance cards are issued as invitations that are free of charge, and the team of the Logos Theatre and all the people engaged in the Festival organization, act as volunteers. This does not mean that Christian Culture Festival costs nothing. On the contrary, to organize such a cultural event at appropriate level is always connected with costs. Rev. Waldemar Sondka deals with organizing means to secure the Festival events all year round. He manages to gain sponsors (without whom the Festival would not exist) and subsidies from institutions that deal with funding culture (without which the Festival could not develop). All that in order to realize the basic idea of the event that derived from the Lodz Christian Culture Days – to enable anyone who wishes and needs that, to live the Mystery through art. This idea assumes a free of charge participation in all the artistic events, which has been the case since the very beginning of the Festival until today, the only condition is that on the day of the Festival opening, one must queue as long as it takes to get invitations. The only limit to the number of invitations is the capacity of rooms in which the events are organized every day throughout the two weeks of the Festival.


 

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Anchiskhati

Logo ANCHISKHATI

A shared love of Georgian folk song brought a group of Conservatoire students together in 1987. Their aim was to study Georgian traditional song, both well-known and lesser known examples. Malkhaz Erkvanidze, Davit Zatiashvili, Guram Gagoshidze, Rezo Kiknadze, Davit Shughliashvili are the first five members of the choir; some time later, three other members joined the group. Zaal Tsereteli (mathematician and programmer by education), Temur Imnadze and Alexandre Khakhishvili — Conservatoire students.

A very important priority for the young singers was to select their repertoire from recordings of old folk singers, where they could find a number of examples, not performed by any contemporary folk groups. A large place in the repertoire of the choir was occupied by songs of renowned folk singer Benia Mikadze (from the village of Kulashi, Samtredia District) and his choir Sanavardo, as Malkhaz Erkvanidze, Anchiskhati’s young leader and Benia Mikadze shared the same village roots.

Alongside learning songs, an interest in learning old, forgotten traditional polyphonic church hymns soon emerged. This became possible thanks to several collections of transcriptions of Georgian chants published at the end of the 19th century and preserved at the Georgian Folk Music Department of Tbilisi State Conservatoire. From these very collections, the group of students (yet to give themselves a name,) started to learn Easter chants. Very soon they were given the opportunity to chant in services at the church. The choir went to Betania Monastery on April 10, 1988 to chant the Easter liturgy. Despite their début, there was an amazing atmosphere at the church. Everybody was enchanted by the tunes glorifying God, so strange to their ears, but so close to their hearts, memory traces of which had been left by the ancestors. That Easter day can be marked as the return of Georgian traditional church chanting to Georgian liturgy.

A week later Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, invited the young choir to his place of residence. The first chant that was chanted for their esteemed host was Kriste Aghsdga from the Shemokmedi School of chant. At this point in time, Pentecost was approaching. For this holiday the blessing and opening of Anchiskhati — the oldest church in Tbilisi was planned. At this very meeting it was decided that the young choir be appointed as the Anchiskhati church choir. From that day on, the choir acquired the name “Anchiskhati Church Choir”.

The revival and renaissance of Georgian church chant, neglected over several generations due to Soviet atheistic censorship, started with the study of thousands of chant transcriptions at the initiative of the young Anchiskhati Church Choir; this initiative was supported both by the Head of the Georgian Church and by the clergy of the newly opened Anchiskhati church, which greatly contributed to the success of this initiative.

Very soon the choir and what is more important the old, half remembered, Georgian chant gained love and popularity among the parishioners. This in turn led to the appearance of many followers of the choir on the one hand and new members seeking to join the choir on the other hand. Among these were young people of various professions who greatly admired chanting, such as Vasil Tsetskhladze (musician), Mamuka Kiknadze (architect), Grigol Bulia (a student of theological Seminary). Georgian traditional chant began to spread its tendrils all over Georgia. This process was also greatly supported by visits of the choir to different parts of the country. By that time Anchiskhati church choir had already published its first record entitled Aghdgomasa Shensa (1991) which included Easter chants from various schools.

Anchiskhati Church Choir started a new stage of its activity after it was joined by a group of friends: Gocha Giorgadze (iconographer), Davit Megrelidze (architect), Levan Veshapidze (ethnomusicologist), Gocha Balavadze (artist), Nikoloz Beriashvili (geographer). This initiative of Malkhaz Erkvanidze the choir leader was driven by the wish to perfectly present Georgian folk song repertoire and its diversity. This expanded choir of 12 singers, was then able to revive and learn a number of Georgian folk music examples, such as Naduri a variant of the village Dutskhuni , Khasanbegura a variant of the Khukhunaishvilis, together with a number of city songs, such as Gvimgheria, Gazapkhuli, etc.

When learning a folk song the choir focuses first and foremost, on the manner of the traditional performance and on the authenticity of scale and intonation of the original song. . This very factor distinguishes Anchiskhati Church Choir from the performance styles of other choirs. It should be mentioned that from this standpoint the choir already had a good example in the form of ensemble Mtiebi directed by Edisher Garaqanidze, the first to introduce and instill authentic village manner of performance on stage. This undoubtedly was a big stimulus for the choir. At the same time it can be said, that Anchiskhati played an influential role in the creation of new ensembles and, helped forge their performance manner.

In 1993 the choir went on its first concert tour outside Georgia — in Greece. This was a truly memorable tour for Anchiskhati. They held several concerts and took part in New Year’s liturgy at the Cathedral Church in Athens. From this beginning, regular concerts tours to various countries took place: Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Armenia, Latvia, Sweden and Lichtenstein. The choir’s performance always inspired audiences. Thanks to Anchiskhati and other Georgian folk groups many foreigners were given the opportunity both to sense and appreciate the beauty and depth of Georgian songs and chants.

Anchiskhati Choir has participated in several cross-cultural international projects. The most remarkable of them is Ruaioumon. Ruaioumon abbey, near Paris, is a place of meeting of musical cultures and musicians from around the world. In 2007 Anchiskhati Choir arrived to Ruaioumon and several weeks worked together with French musicians and composer Alexandros Markeas, who created wonderful musical pieces, in which he involved Georgian melodies and voices of Anchiskhati singers. New creations of composer had been presented at several performances in Paris and Ruaioumon. One of these performances was called polyphonic banquet, because this event really was a banquet with Georgian traditional toasts and polyphonic folk songs. People, attended banquette, enjoyed very much live Georgian music and taste of Georgian foods presented in unusual (though traditional Georgian) and exciting format.

One more remarkable cross-cultural project took place in 2008 in Sweden. Several hundreds of musicians, with Anchiskhati singers among them, met each other in Stockholm and during 3 weeks rehearsed a cantata called “Challenge to Humanity”. Cantata, accompanied by symphonic orchestra, was performed several times in Stockholm and each time it had great success.

Anchiskhati’s first CD was published by a Canadian Company — ”Deep Down Productions”. Anchiskhati‘s solo CD collection now exceeds a dozen..

Separate mention should be made of collections of transcriptions, published by Anchiskhati singers and edited by Malkhaz Erkvanidze, who published a 5 volume collection including hundreds of chants. Now these collections form a basic instruction manual for beginners and professional chanters and chanting choirs. A collection of chants of the Shemokmedi School, published by Davit Shughliashvili is another manual for chanting, which occupies a distinguished place. Dozens of Gurian folk songs have been transcribed by Levan Veshapidze, thus creating an excellent source book for both Georgians and foreigners who love songs of this part of Western Georgia.

Anchiskhati choir is now at an age of professional maturity and can doubtless look forward to many future long years delighting audiences both in its home country and around the world.

 

Programme

Part 1
Church Hymns and Songs

1. Glory to Our Meeting
Feast song from Guria, Western Georgia

2. Glory to the God in the Highest
Svetitskoveli monastery school, chant

3. The Resurrection Day
Gelati monastery school, irmos

4. The Rod of Jesse
Shemokmedi monastery school, irmos

5. Ave Maria
Svetitskoveli monastery school, troparion

6. Alilo
Christmas song from Kakheti, Eastern Georgia

7. Tsinamorbedisa
Shemokmedi monastery school, kontakion

8. Krmata
Gelati monastery school, irmos

9. Eklesiasa Shina
Gelati monastery school, chant

10. Ats Ganuteve
Shemokmedi monastery school, chant

11. Mgalobelni Shenni
Svetitskoveli monastery school, chant

12. Alilo
Christmas song from Imereti, Western Georgia

13. You Are the Vineyeard
Svetitskoveli monastery school, chant

14. Polychronion
Feast city song

Part 2 Folk Songs

1. Polychronion
Table song from Kakhety, Eastern Georgia

2. Ma Si Vardi
Love song from Mengrelia, song with the instrument Chonguri, Western Georgia

3. Peace to Us
Table song from Guria, Western Georgia

4. Evrida Maspindzelsa
Feast song from Adjara, Western Georgia

5. Dzmao Rai Sjobs Dzmobasa
Table song from Kakhety, Eastern Georgia

6. Odila
Work song from Imereti, Western Georgia

7. Ierishi
Historical song from Guria, with “krimanchuli” (yodel), Western Georgia

8. Bedneri Do Ubedursu
Table song from Mengrelia, song with the instrument Chonguri, Western Georgia

9. Sufris Khelkhvavi
Table song from Guria, Western Georgia

10. Chona
Easter song from Kakhety, Eastern Georgia

11. The Spring
City song

12. The Human
Song by composer and poetess Inola Gurgulia, with guitar

13. Naduri
Work song from Guria, with “krimanchuli” (yodel), Western Georgia