International Festival “Night Serenades” Coming to Tbilisi
Music lovers in Georgia will be once again pleased with the staggering international festival “Night Serenades” which opened on August 25 at the Z.Paliashvili music school in Batumi. The festival is directed by internationally renowned Georgian violinist, Liana Isakadze, and is being held in Georgia for the seventh time since re-opening.
On the first day, the festival’s base orchestra World Chamber Ensemble “Virtuosi” performed overtures from various operas by W.A. Mozart. Conductor of the evening was Mr. Cesar Alvarez from Spain, who is considered as one of the strongest values of orchestral conducting according to international critics. During the second part of the evening 69-year-old Liana Isakadze performed a magnificent Violin Concerto in E minor by F. Mendelssohn.
On August 26, music lovers in Batumi had the chance to enjoy chamber music as World Chamber Ensemble “Virtuosi” opened the concert performing “Night Serenades” by W.A. Mozart, conducted by Lavard Skou Larsen from Austria. The concert continued with string trio, Jan-Erik Gustafsson (cello), Yuri Zhislin (viola) and Anna-Liisa Bezrodny (violin), performing “Goldberg Variations” by J.S. Bach. The concert finished with a Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet arranged for string orchestra by Larsen.
On 26 and 30 August, concerts are to be held in Batumi, before the event moves to the Tbilisi State Conservatoire Grand Hall on 2nd and 3rd September.
The Final Charity Concert will take place on September 4th at the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel in Tbilisi. All funds from the concerts will go to the Georgian Solidarity Fund to finance vital medical treatment for children with cancer. John Losasso, General Manager of Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel said he is glad to host the charity event to support children with cancer and pleased that illustrious musicians from all over the world will hold a concert in the hotel’s Ballroom.
“I am glad that the festival started with great success. As always, the festival is hosting many world famous musicians and this year we have such great musicians as Cesar Alvarez, Muhai Tang, Maxime Tortelier and others. I want to thank everyone who supported this idea and now the festival can be known as the “Batumi-Tbilisi International Festival,” said Liana Isakadze. She also thanked the general manager of Radisson Blu Iveria for allowing their Ballroom to be used for the charity concert.
“I invite everyone who wants to take part in this charity event and support children with cancer,” she added.
Liana Isakadze promised that they will always aim to make music lovers happy with classical music masterpieces as the festival will continue in the following years and many more famous musicians are sure to take part.
The festival was first set up in the 1980s. In 1991 it was stopped due to social turmoil but was renewed in Batumi at the initiative of Liana Isakadze and with the support of Batumi City Hall, in 2009.
Since 2015, the festival has expanded and now the Night Serenades Festival is known as the Tbilisi-Batumi International Festival.
Liana Isakadze has been awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR (1988), Meritorious Artist of the Georgian SSR (1970), the State Prize of Georgia (1975, 1983, 2002), and the Order of Honor of Georgia (1998, 2002).
Nino Melikishvili