Georgia’s Got Talent
This is something comparable to the Italian school of operatic singing – the supplier of vocal stars to the world. Yet, it so happened in life that the Georgian classic singers have also conquered the world’s most illustrious stages and this is no longer news for anybody, having been the case for the last hundred years, starting with the legend of operatic singing, Tenor Vano Sarajishvili, the famous Georgian Nightingale, and ending with Georgian soprano Nino Lezhava, currently the Artistic Director of the Renata Tebaldi & Mario Del Monaco International Singing Academy of Pesaro in Italy.
Georgian operatic male and female stars are singing all over the planet and each of them absolutely deserve an individual contribution in this wonderful weekly edition of ours. This particular journalistic instance is totally bestowed to Nino Lezhava. Thanks to her initiative and organizational efforts, in close and longstanding cooperation with the Georgian Embassy in Rome, our opera performers successfully participated in musical events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the great Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini, born in 1792 in Pesaro, one of the Papal States of Italy.
The first concert was held on November 4 at the Teatro Comunale di Cagli and the second on November 6 at the Teatro della Fortuna di Fano. The outstanding group of the Batumi Musical Center, complete with conductor Davit Mukeria and soloists, tenor Irakli Kakhidze, Soprano Nino Lezhava, Mezzo-soprano Inga Jakhutashvili, and Base Sulkhan Jaiani, staged the most perfect presentation of the well-known Stabat Mater by Rossini.
Speaking historically, Rossini’s masterpiece has sounded through centuries in almost every country of the globe. The latest concert was a direct product of mutual cooperation between the Pesaro Academy and the Batumi Center.
Last November, the Days of Culture of Pesaro were held in Batumi, which was the great mutual success of the Pesaro Municipality and the Georgian Embassy in Italy. Following it was the Days of Georgian Culture in Pesaro last April, which was organized by the Embassy and the Leadership of the city of Pesaro, headed by the Pesaro Vice-Mayor Daniele Vimini as well as under the patronage of the Marche Region of Italy. It has to be specially noted that Daniele Vimini is truly a devoted patron and untiring leader of all those Italian-Georgian musical exchanges, attracting the most amazing attention of the public in both countries, especially those which have been performed in honor of the universally beloved Italian composer. The musical festival was also dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of UNESCO activities in Pesaro.
The well-known Georgian Soprano Nino Lezhava, who is currently working in Italy at the Pesaro Singing Academy, gave a solo concert at the Batumi Music Center on October 25, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Batumi State Symphony Orchestra. Nino performed in the accompaniment of the Orchestra and the Choir. The concert was conducted by the director of the Belgrade State Opera Savic, who was visiting Batumi as a special guest of honor. On October 26, Lezhava conducted a master class at the Paliashvili Music Concert Hall. Following that, she selected young listeners for the master class of Jose Carreras, the outstanding Spanish opera singer, which is going to take place between January 19 and 26 at the Rossini Opera Theater in the city of Pesaro in Italy. Notably, she chose one young singer to attend the class for free.
The musical cooperation between Georgia and Italy continues with great vigor and professionalism, all included – friendship, culture, politics and celebrations of the talent of both nations.
By Nugzar B. Ruhadze