Jansug Ivanes dze Kakhidze ( ka, ჯანსუღ კახიძე; 26 May 1935Kakhidze Music Center
/ref> — 7 March 2002) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

musician, composer, singer and conductor nicknamed "the Georgian Karajan". Kakhidze was music director of the

Georgian State Symphony Orchestra Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

for two decades beginning in 1973. He is the father of composer and conductor

Vakhtang Kakhidze Vakhtang (Vato) Kakhidze ( ka, ვახტანგ (ვატო) კახიძე; russian: Вахтанг Кахидзе; born 23 March 1959 in Tbilisi) is a Georgian composer and conductor. He is the son of conductor Jansug Kakhidze. He g ...

Musical career

In 1958, Kakhidze graduated from the Choir Conducting department of the ''Tbilisi State Conservatory''. In 1963 he completed the post-graduate courses for Opera and Symphony Orchestra Conducting under Professor

Odysseas Dimitriadis Odysseas Dimitriadis (7 July 1908 – 28 April 2005) was a Georgia (country), Georgian of Greek descent and Soviet Union, Soviet classical music conductor. During his 70-year career, Odysseas had conducted a number of the world's leading orchestras, ...

at the same institution. Later he had training in Moscow with the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

conductor

Igor Markevitch Igor Borisovich Markevitch (russian: Игорь Борисович Маркевич, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', uk, Ігор Борисович Маркевич, ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian- ...

. From 1982 until 2002 Djansug Kakhidze was the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre The Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის ოპერისა და ბალეტის სახელმწიფო აკადემიური თეატრი), formerly known as the ...

. Opera performances released under his direction included ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'', ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', '' Boris Goduno'', ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'', ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'', ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'', ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play b ...

'', ''

Gianni Schicchi () is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...

'', ''

L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premiere ...

'', '' The Queen of Spades'', '' The Fiery Angel'', ''

The Love for Three Oranges ''The Love for Three Oranges'', Op. 33, also known by its French language title ' (russian: Любовь к трём апельсинам, links=no, ''Lyubov' k tryom apel'sinam''), is a satirical opera by Sergei Prokofiev. Its French libretto ...

'', ''Duenj'', '' Abesalom and Eteri'', and '' Music for the living''. In 1989, Kakhidze founded a new hall for

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

music in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

, which included the Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture. He established the first professional

boys' choir A boys' choir is a choir primarily made up of choirboys who have yet to begin puberty or are in the early to middle stages of puberty and so retain their more highly pitched childhood voice type. Members of a boys' choir are technically known as '' ...

in Tbilisi at this center in 2000, further developing the classical

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

in Georgia. In 1993, Kakhidze founded the new Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, and led it until his death in 2002. Noted for his innovative program and devotion to contemporary works from his homeland, Kakhidze gained recognition during his life as a close friend and strong advocate of composer

Giya Kancheli Gia Kancheli ( ka, გია ყანჩელი; 10 August 1935 – 2 October 2019) was a Georgian composer. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia but resided in Belgium. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli lived first in B ...

, recording his entire cycle of seven symphonies, along with many other works. Highlights of Kakhidze's career included numerous appearances conducting throughout Europe and Australia. His performance of Berlioz's ''

Damnation of Faust ''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique' ...

'' with the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Co ...

in 1990 drew high praise from critics, and helped him to secure further international success in places such as the United States, where appeared as a guest conductor with both the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

and the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

Filmography

Composer

* 1974 –

The Eccentrics ''The Eccentrics'' ( ka, შერეკილები, ''Sherekilebi''; russian: Чудаки, ''Chudaki'') is a 1973 Soviet satire-comedy film directed by Eldar Shengelaia Eldar Shengelaia ( ka, ელდარ შენგელაია; r ...

(with

) * 1974 – Watermelon (Animation film) * 1974 – Ra-Ni-Na (Animation film) * 1974 – Bet (Short film) * 1975 – The first swallow * 1975 – Valse on the Mtatsminda (Short film) * 1976 – Thermometer (Short film) * 1976 – Tree Manetis (Short film) * 1976 – Ivanika and Simonika * 1976 – Trip to Tbilisi * 1977 –

Stepmother of Samanishvili A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a non-biological female parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. Culture Ste ...

(with

) * 1977 – Racha, my love * 1978 –

Data Tutashkhia ''Data Tutashkhia'' ( ka, დათა თუთაშხია) is a novel written by Chabua Amirejibi in 1975. It was translated to English by Antonina W. Bouis in 1985. This is one of the most popular readable novels in Georgia and former Sov ...

(with

Bidzina Kvernadze Bidzina Kvernadze ( ka, ბიძინა კვერნაძე), (29 July 1928, Sighnaghi, Georgia, – 8 July 2010, Tbilisi), was a famous Georgian composer.The Legend of Suram Fortress ''The Legend of the Suram Fortress'' ( ka, ამბავი სურამის ციხისა) is a 1985 drama film directed by Georgian SSR-born Soviet-Armenian director Sergei Parajanov and Georgian actor Dodo Abashidze. Sergei Parajanov ...

* 1993 – Express - Information (with

) * 1994 – Iavnana

Voice

* 1974 – Ra-Ni-Na (Animation film) * 1974 – Watermelon (Animation film)

As actor

* 1970 –

Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird ''Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird'' (Georgian: იყო შაშვი მგალობელი (''Iko shashvi mgalobeli'')) is a 1970 Soviet comedy-drama film. Plot Gia is a percussionist with an orchestra in Tbilisi. He stil ...

– ''Conductor'' * 1996 – Brigands-Chapter VII – ''Conductor''

Selected recordings

Camille Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto Nº 2 / Fantasies, Liszt / Rhapsodie, Rachmaninov,

Elisso Bolkvadze Elisso Bolkvadze or Eliso Bolkvadze ( ka, ელისო ბოლქვაძე) is a Georgian classical pianist born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is member of Parliament of Georgia since 11 December 2020. Early life Elisso Bolkvadze comes fro ...

, piano, Tbillisi Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jansug Kakhidze. ''Cascavelle'', 2010

Awards

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

(1958) *

Shota Rustaveli Prize The Shota Rustaveli State Prize (created in 1965) is the highest prize awarded by Georgia in the fields of art and literature. The first prize-winners of this prize were Konstantine Gamsakhurdia (writer), Irakli Abashidze (poet) and Lado Gudiashvil ...

(1977) * People's Artist of the Georgian SSR (1978) *

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1985) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

References

External links

Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kakhidze, Jansug 1935 births 2002 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male singers from Georgia (country) Musicians from Tbilisi Tbilisi State Conservatoire alumni People's Artists of Georgia People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Rustaveli Prize winners Classical composers from Georgia (country) Classical musicians from Georgia (country) Conductors (music) from Georgia (country) Soviet classical musicians Soviet conductors (music) Soviet film score composers Soviet male classical composers Soviet male singers Burials at Didube Pantheon