“Stealing of the Moon”

The Rustaveli theatre and Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection showed enormous respect towards Georgian composer Otar Taktakishvili by celebrating his 90th anniversary on July 9th. The main attention was attracted to three huge Georgian artists Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Otar Taktakishvili and Shota Nishnianidze and their connection to Abkhazia.

The opening act of the evening was as powerful as the rest of the show. “Stealing of the Moon” is a trilogy novel written by Konstantine Gamsakhurdia. It reflects the Soviet life at the beginning of the 1930s. Otar Taktakishvili decided to stage the opera out of the novel and it first debuted in 1968, was staged at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre again in 1978, and also met great success in foreign countries.

The opening act of the evening, like the continuation, was mainly focused on the opera itself. The orchestra, especially cellos and violins, worked to establish the right melancholic atmosphere to compliment the singers who, with all force, were motivated to create harmonious sounds. Between the musical acts there were also speeches about and from the novel itself. The first speaker was Mr. Dimitri Jaiani, a Georgian actor who read part three of the novel. Founder and artistic director of the Rustavi ensemble, Mr. Anzor Erkomaishvili, was also among those who shared their opinions: “The fact that Georgian polyphony has earned world recognition is partly thanks to Otar Taktakishvili’s marvelous works; he gave Georgian folk a solid reputation.” He went on to say that: “Otar Taktakishvili was Minister of the Culture Department for 20 years and that period was a true Renaissance of Georgian classical music, he’s name should be honored eternally”.

The night was as close to perfection is it could possibly get; a mixture of classical and Georgian folk sounds gave the audience unusual vibes and the interior of Rustaveli theatre, which is close to Baroque style in dйcor, was the crowning glory of the atmosphere. It was almost like an opera scene from “The Age of Innocence,” only with Georgian flavour.

David Lolishvili