Recently I discovered by chance the music of one of Georgia's foremost composers -Sulkan Tsintsadze. I had purchased Brilliant's Russian Historical Archives Alexander Gauk edition. On CD 8 of the 10 CD set, was a piece by this composer entitled "Fantasy for piano and orchestra". I was immediately attracted to the work, very much like Rachmaninov in places ( more joyous though than melancolic), but also reminiscent of Khatchaturian, especially in the orchestral climaxes. I really like this piece. Sadly the music is slightly spoiled by persistant coughing in this, a live recording!!! To my knowledge, this is the only commercial recording presently available. If I found a studio recording, I would buy it immediately. The Fantasy is by the way, a reworking of a Piano concerto after Georgian themes, which I would love to acquire! Other Tsintsadze works freely available are" Miniatures" and also some string quartets. I have since discovered another "Fantasy" but this time for violin and string orchestra, which I have on order. Are any members familiar with this composer and what do they think of his music? I know there are symphonies and other concertos. Your comments would be most welcome, especially if you know of other commercial recordings.
Cheers
Dennis
I've heard the Piano Fantasy and Dennis is right: it's a winning mix of Rachmaninov and Khachaturian. Very attractive, tuneful and colourfully orchestrated music.
Can you say where you found the Fantasy for piano and orchestra? On Amazon I can find the miniatures you mention, but not the fantasy...
It would be interesting to know more about Georgian composers in general, particularly from the pre- and early Soviet era. The Tbilisi Conservatory was and is one of the most highly-regarded in the ex-Soviet territories. I have operas by Paliashvili (1871-1933 - "Abesalom and Eteri", and "Daisi") and Dolidze (1890-1933 - "Keto and Kote"), and various music by Irakli Djabadary (1891-1934) including his Piano Concerto No.3 in A major, Op. 10., Georgian Rhapsody (for piano and orchestra) Op.2, and his symphonic poems Tiflisiana and La Melopee du Serpent Op.9. Does anyone have any information on other Georgian composers and resordings that have been made?
I remember seeing the name years ago in lists of Russian Lp's,back in the days of 'Collets' and the 'Russian Record Company',
Quote from: Christopher on Tuesday 08 February 2011, 21:13
Can you say where you found the Fantasy for piano and orchestra? On Amazon I can find the miniatures you mention, but not the fantasy...
It's here: http://www.selections.com/AK125/alexander-gauk-edition-vol-2-10cds/ (http://www.selections.com/AK125/alexander-gauk-edition-vol-2-10cds/)
-J
Hm! I wonder what his Walter Piston's like?
Try this website:
http://www.georgian-music.com/free_music/classic.php
You will find some interesting things, such as a piano concerto by Bidzina Kvernadze and music by Felix Glonti, Kancheli, et al, then google some of them, great stuff.
I am not very familiar with Tsintsadze's music. The only recording I have of his music is from the Daniil Shafran CD "Russian Soul" which contains the Prokofiev Symphony Concerto, Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No. 2, and Five Georgian Dances by Tsintsadze. I see that someone uploaded them to youtube if you are curious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhlM3AMnSSQ&playnext=1&list=PL0CA1BFDF3811E96D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhlM3AMnSSQ&playnext=1&list=PL0CA1BFDF3811E96D)
There is a delightful piece by Tsintsadze on a CD called Cello World by cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Thomas Ades. Called "chonguri", I think it might be from the Five Pieces group. There are also an assortment of miniatures on Lisa Batiashvili's disc of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. It is great to see an unsung included alongside an established work performed by an up-and-coming soloist. Unfortunately, I've heard nothing else by him.
Yes. It's the second one in the set. It's not surprising that Isserlis recorded it. I think he wrote the notes for the Shafran CD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW7DRiayPU8p (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW7DRiayPU8p)
Tsintsadze wrote other pieces for cello including concertos. Unless I am confusing him with Khachaturian, who I know for sure was a cellist, Tsintsadze was a cellist himself. Unfortunately, I doubt any recordings exist.
Quote from: jimmattt on Wednesday 09 February 2011, 05:10
Try this website:
http://www.georgian-music.com/free_music/classic.php
You will find some interesting things, such as a piano concerto by Bidzina Kvernadze and music by Felix Glonti, Kancheli, et al, then google some of them, great stuff.
How do I listen to this music? When I click links for the music, I hear nothing. The file format is .wax. What is that?
Use Windows Media Player. I think WAX is effectively the same thing as WMA.
Edit: I now see that the site contains a number of Tsintsadze's works, including cello concertos. Embed your links next time so I don't miss them.
Ah, okay, I found that if I do a Copy/Paste of the link into Windows Media Player "Open URL" box, it will play.
Unfortunately, listening to portions of the four concertos, I find that they are obstinately obnoxious, acutely abrasive, and deeply irritating modernist pieces. The Violin Concerto is particularly dreadful.
I'll try a few of the other pieces, and some of the other composers to see if there are more palatable pieces to be found.
Tsintsadze is a great composer indeed. However, the early Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (which I don't know so far but I do know other pieces by him which were composed at about the same time) is hardly representative of his ripe style. I think that at the beginning at the 1960s he had found his own voice and that's definitely nothing in post-Rachmaninov vein but rather based on Shostakovich, Bartók and maybe some serial procedures. Actually that's quite tough stuff from time to time with a notable degree of dissonance. I wouldn't call Tsintsadze a modernist though he was interested in innovations and his music is far more modern than Taktakishvili's who was just one year older than Tsintsadze.
Tsintsadze used to play the cello, and he was definitely an expert in string writing. There are twelve string quartets in his output, of which I know all but the last one and they are highly interesting in my view. Two of them have appeared on CD, by the way (Nos. 6&10). His Cello Concerto No. 2 is a terrific piece as well.
His most prominent pieces are his arrangements of Georgian Folk Songs for string quartet, however, though these are actually pieces which don't belong to the centre of his creative output. Nevertheless, he did an excellent job here, his creativity in writing for string quartet is remarkable and these little miniatures are really great fun. The cello pieces mentioned above belong to the same category, while the Fantasy for Violin and Strings which is available on CD is based on an opera by Dolidze (Keto and Kote).
In fact, the only ambitious mature works by Tsintsadze which have been recorded on CD are the two string quartets I mentioned above (and even them do not seem to be available any more).
I like his music because of its energy, its balance between ratio and emotion and because it's very well done. However I understand that people who love romanticism rather than 20th century developments might have their problems with his later output.
By the way, as far as I am informed Tsintsadze already died in 1991 (not 1992 as indicated in the title).
Regards,
Holger
there was also a fantasia for piano and orchestra by him - a 1954 recording - released in an Aleksandr Gauk edition last year.
Does anyone know how to get hold of his Fantasia for piano and orchestra without having to buy 10 other CDs as well in the box set?!
Quote from: DennisS on Thursday 11 November 2010, 21:41
Recently I discovered by chance the music of one of Georgia's foremost composers -Sulkan Tsintsadze. I had purchased Brilliant's Russian Historical Archives Alexander Gauk edition. On CD 8 of the 10 CD set, was a piece by this composer entitled "Fantasy for piano and orchestra". I was immediately attracted to the work, very much like Rachmaninov in places ( more joyous though than melancolic), but also reminiscent of Khatchaturian, especially in the orchestral climaxes. I really like this piece. Sadly the music is slightly spoiled by persistant coughing in this, a live recording!!! To my knowledge, this is the only commercial recording presently available. If I found a studio recording, I would buy it immediately. The Fantasy is by the way, a reworking of a Piano concerto after Georgian themes, which I would love to acquire! Other Tsintsadze works freely available are" Miniatures" and also some string quartets. I have since discovered another "Fantasy" but this time for violin and string orchestra, which I have on order. Are any members familiar with this composer and what do they think of his music? I know there are symphonies and other concertos. Your comments would be most welcome, especially if you know of other commercial recordings.
Cheers
Dennis
Dennis - thank you for alerting me to this fine work. I have the Brilliant Gauk box (Volume 2) and had never played this before - but I have now! I agree that it has resonances of Rachmaninov and Khachaturian. By the way the notes give his date of death as 1991. These Brilliant boxes of Russian/Soviet music are sources of interesting discoveries. In the Brilliant Svetlanov box I came across Arkady Mazaev's (1909-1987) 'The Krasnodonians' which commemorates victims of the Nazi invasion of the Ukraine in 1942 - a deeply moving and powerful work (18 minutes) to which I often return - I can't recommend it strongly enough. Best wishes, Jeffrey
Finally got around to checking out Tsintsadze, and from my perspective, a widely mixed bag. His orchestral works (particularly the cello concerti) can be compelling in places, especially the slow movements, but much of his orchestral work is jagged.
That being said, the string quartets are simply amazing, particularly the first three. Think early Bartok, which in turn, reminds me of the late Beethoven quartets. Great, great stuff. Also, the miniatures for string quartet are quite lovely. Almost all of them are available (sound varies from good to poor) on the georgian music website:
http://www.georgian-music.com/free_music/classic.php
I seem to recall Sony released a recording with one of the string quartets, but I'm not sure. I will check the link soon since I've been interested in/intrigued by his music since hearing about it on Netnews from Mr. Tepper...
Thanks to all, and especially Holger, for informing us about this interesting and too little known composer. Tsintsadse (1925-1991 indeed) has been on my radar ever since I heard his Fantasy for Violin and Strings (1989) [8'02], commercially recorded by the Georgian Chamber Orchestra under Liana Issakadze during their collective `exile' and lengthy stay in Germany in the early 1990s and found on a cd of the ORFEO label.
The whole cd (see below) is very recommendable BTW, with two highly interesting concertos by Ota Taktakishvili (Concerto for Violin and CO No. 2 from 1987) and the Concerto for Violin, Cello and CO (1982) by Sulkhan Nassidze.
Best known are his Miniatures for SQ, based on Georgion Folksongs. Six of them were also recorded in a version for string orchestra (`Six Quartet Miniatures') on an ONDINE cd (ODE 766-2) labelled `Folk into Classic' in a sublime performance by the indomitable Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra under Juha Kangas. Pure delight.
BTW: his name is usually transliterated "Sulkhan Tsintsadze" in English but "Sulchan Zinzadse" in German - and one may find e.g. the Orfeo cd, and perhaps even more, by trying this and other transliterations of his name.
(http://www.qualiton.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/048/048_304921.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B7u9VlyQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I too would like to second Christo's comments re- the music of Sulkan Tsintsadze. I bought my copy of Kartuli Musika last summer and it remains one of my favourite CDs. It's a pity that there is not more of his music commercially available. If any members have any other works on LP, it would be great to see them uploaded in the Downloads folder.
Cheers
Dennis
Yes, the Orfeo `Kartuli Musika' cd is one of my favourites too. Not so much for the sake of Tsintsadze's Fantasy, but more for that of the two wonderful concertos by Taktakishvili and Nassidze. :D When I bought it, I had no clue about any of these composers, but I found them first class, a delight.
BTW, there's another cd wit the same title (`Kartuli Musika') and by the same Georgian CO `in German exile' under another conductor. I don't have it, but it offers nine String Miniatures by Tsintsadze and a Chamber Symphony No. 2 by Nassidze. Can anyone tell us more about it?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61btvq9boIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61gulJd5XHL._SS400_.jpg)
In between, found a more recent cd with string orchestra versions of - now - all eleven Miniatures, again by the Germany-resident (in Ingolstadt) Georgian Chamber Orchestra, this time coupled with the substantial Chamber Symphony No. 3 (1969) by Sulkhan Nasidse (Sulchan Nassidze in German transliteration) and the Concerto quasi una Fantasia for piano, strings, celesta and harpsichord by Ioseph Bardanashvili (would make Joseph Bardanaschwili in German).
BTW even the German label is now getting confused over the correct spelling of these Georgian names, offering a curious mixture of German and English transliterations on the cover:
(http://www.jpc.de/image/w220/front/0/4260034867840.jpg)(http://www.jpc.de/image/w600/rear/0/4260034867840.jpg)