Celebrated Georgian Artist Kordz to Perform with String Orchestra in Borjomi Park
Exclusive Interview
If you’re a classic music enthusiast, electronic music geek or just love discovering new extraordinary pieces, then head to Borjomi so as not to miss out on the upcoming concert by internationally-renowned contemporary artist Alexandre Kordzaia together with the Zagareli String Orchestra.
Set to take place right in the Central Park of Georgia’s Borjomi City, the concert is being carried out within the frames of the government’s ‘Check in Georgia’ project. Entrance is free.
Alexandre Kordzaia (23) is a Georgian artist and DJ better known by his nickname Kordz. He is currently based in The Netherlands, where he is working on a Master’s Degree in Acoustic Composition in La Hague University, yet from time to time he is invited to perform in different countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy and, of course, Georgia. Educated as a classical musician, he developed a love of jazz and house music and started composing his own classic and electronic pieces. Kordz is well-known to the Georgian audience, having performed at Spacehall, Mtkvarze, Fabrika, Tbilisi Open Air Festival, Black Sea Jazz Festival, Tsinandali Award and now with a busy schedule of concerts planned both in Georgia and abroad. His music is characterized by cheerful and positive tunes that boost your mood instantly. Kordz’s most famous and popular tracks are Deep Thoughts, Satellite, Mtkvarze, Topic, and Chitebi (Birds). Previously, GEORGIA TODAY was hosted by Kordz at his grandma’s house where he usually stays while in the country, and we met him there again for a catch-up.
“The series of my performances in Georgia kicked off in Tusheti,” the artist told us. “I was part of the project Ak Tusheti (Here Tusheti) that took place in our country’s historic highland. Artists from the Caucasus were brought to one place, to the mountains of Georgia, to work together, share experiences with one another and perform for audiences. Young musicians from different corners of the country, as well as from Azerbaijan, Chechnya, and the upper Caucasus united in Omalo, Tusheti, and collaborated for over 10 days within the project. Each of the participants, both folk music representatives and electronic music artists, delivered concerts to the local audience, tourists and other attendees. Anyone could attend the events for free. I performed on July 13 and the day was really successful. The first folk ensemble, Anchiskhati, delivered a concert and then I took to the stage and introduced my own music. It turned out a really interesting combination, folk music followed by electronic pieces. The atmosphere was really wonderful since the stage was nestled between the mountains. My music was received by the locals very well, both elderly people and kids enjoyed it, you could tell it from their emotions and faces. It was my first time in Tusheti and I was left very impressed. It’s quite a remote region yet very beautiful with vast lands, making it good for horse-riding. I had my first experience riding in Tusheti and I really enjoyed it.”
Kordz continues his Georgia tour with his next performance, together with the Zagareli String Orchestra, to be held in Borjomi Park on July 28. As the musician told us, the idea of organizing a concert together with strings was born a few months ago.
“We teamed up with Art Area, which organizes various musical events in the open air, both within the city and other places,” Kordz told GEORGIA TODAY. “I decided to compose one entire set as a complete piece. It will be a classical piece performed with strings and organically merged with electronic music elements. I think it will be a really interesting experiment and little bit strange, but the good thing about performing in Georgia is that you are not restricted, and you can be completely free to experiment with various genres and styles before giving a concert. I’m going to deliver a new piece composed specially for strings, a piece composed for the Tsinandali Award named Topic, and then several electronic pieces modified for strings.”
On August 11, Kordz will play in Bakhmaro, a highland village in western Georgia, as part of a small electronic music festival named Taoba, with other contemporary Georgian artists and DJs. On August 24, on ‘Georgian Days in Frankfurt,’ he will be in Germany playing together with a string orchestra. On September 15, he has been invited to perform on the anniversary of Beethoven in Bonn, Germany.
“It’s going to be quite an extraordinary show, since the 5th Symphony will be performed and in the middle, I’ll be able to play my pieces,” Kordz said. “This will be followed by my next performance at the International Chess Championship to be held in Georgia. The opening ceremony of the championship will be held at the Black Sea Arena, where I’ll be performing together with Nikoz Rachveli’s orchestra. Then on September 26, I’ll be performing as a part of the Marjanishvili Theater Festival,” the artist said.
Over the past year, Kordz has performed in a number of prestigious music halls around world such as Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam; Ellbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and Funkhaus in Berlin. But he plans to come back to Georgia for a while.
“My mom has been organizing the festival CLOSE Encounters since 2006. In the beginning, the festival seemed very strange to many people, yet people slowly started to see it differently. In 2016, the atmosphere was totally different and the interest was higher. This year, the festival will be even more diverse, since I’m bringing my foreign musician friends and artists from England and Germany. We’re planning to hold a grand event at Mtkvari on September 30. Natali Beridze, Feredric Robinson and Anushka Chkheidze will also take to the stage. The festival is aimed at introducing and promoting new kinds of music and pieces that are firmly established in European culture but are less known and widespread in Georgia. The festival will last several days, Zagareli – Strings will be performing pieces by Georgian and European composers, followed by the event at Mtkvarze, two concerts in Tbilisi Conservatoire and two in Georgian villages.
After such a busy schedule and tours, the musician prefers to spend his vacation in his village Kavtiskhevi and devote his entire time to making music.
“I’m in my final year of Master’s Degree at the Hague University and I’m planning to stay in Georgia for six months from September and continue experimenting here. I’ll use the time to generate new ideas and bring to reality existing ones,” the artist told us.
By Lika Chigladze