Alois Mizandari (1838-1912) - Georgia

[Christopher]

Alois Mizandari (1838-1912) - Georgia
or ალოიზ მიზანდარი, as I am sure most people on here would recognise!

https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/ალოიზ_მიზანდარი
(google translate...)

Alois Joseph Mizandari (b. 13 September [ September 1 BCE] 1838 , Gori - June 14, 1912 [ Tbilisi Born June 1, 1912 ] , Tbilisi ) - Georgian pianist-virtuoso, composer and teacher. Author of the first Georgian printed work (romance "We Break Away" 1863), founder of the Piano School, one of the founders of the first music school, an honorary member of the Tbilisi Department of the Russian Imperial Music Society.

Mizandari Alois was born in 1837 in the city of Gori . 1855-1863. He studied at the Faculty of Oriental Languages ​​of the University of St. Petersburg. Performed with the University Symphony Orchestra. A close relationship with Milli Balakirev and Anton Rubinstein influenced the further pursuit of purpose. Kh. Savannah and K. Alikhanov founded the Music School in Tbilisi in 1874 , which became the Music School in 1886 , and in 1917 it became the Tbilisi State Conservatory .

During his studies in St. Petersburg and on trips to Europe ( Paris , Vienna 1865-1867) he had close relations with Tchaikovsky , Rubinstein , Balakirev , Liszt , Rossin , Brahms , Gunno , Verdi and others. According to legend, Mizandari and Liszt often played four hands.

Criticism of Mizandari's concerts was highly praised: "With his rare grace and genius, Mr. Mizandari surprised his listeners." (Newspapers: "Der Wanderer" ( 1867 ), "Die Debate" ( 1867 ), "Vorderblatt" ( 1867 ) "Neue Wienner Theaterzeitung" ( 1867 ); Mizandari's piano pieces are the first samples of Georgian professional music. Masses, which are performed in the Catholic Church. Alois Mizandari Georgian student, was one of the founders of the school of piano Anna Tulashvili , as well as e. i. poltoratskai and so forth.

He is buried in Didube Pantheon of writers and public figures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsCJvczFygI - "Tiflis - Polka" (1867), for orchestra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCugCTajMsg - Melodie orientale and Lesghinka (1867), solo piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXOTA0Gm1iI - Mazurka "Souvenir d'Abastouman" (1892), solo piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAyDgTu2jZ8 - Fugitive musings for my friend, Vienna (Jan.1867), solo piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kugFJkmURPE - Mazurka-Fantaisie, solo piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdkFvba8Jn4 – Romance, soprano + piano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plGQQgauQ7Q – 6-minute documentary (in Georgian) including excerpts of his music

[semloh]

Thanks, Christopher. The YT pieces are a real pleasure. I wonder what were his major works.

[Christopher]

Glad you are enjoying semloh.  I will keep a lookout for any more.

What I have been doing is going on to Wikipedia's page which is just a list of Georgian composers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Composers_from_Georgia_(country) - which list some - and then clicking in the left-hand margin on the Georgian-language equivalent - https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/კატეგორია:ქართველი_კომპოზიტორები - which lists an awful lot more.   

I switch on google translate so I can read the list of names in Latin script, and then click on each name to see which were born in "our" era.  I then put those names in both Georgian, Latin and Russina/Cyrillic  script through youtube to see what comes up (the latter as, in the period of our interest, Georgia was under Russian rule and many of its music students might have studied in St Petersburg/Moscow).

Quite long-winded but a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon, for the curious-minded.  I did the same with Ukrainian composers a few years ago, I need to refresh to see what new ones have been added, if any.  I also did this for Moldovan composers last month (minus the alphabet complication), though results were few.  And I will do it with Armenian composers next, when I have time - that also involves the alphabet issue as the Armenian alphabet is indecipherable to me, like the Georgian one.  The difference in the length of lists between English and Armenian wikipedias promises some potential discoveries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Armenian_composers and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronological_list_of_Armenian_classical_composers vs https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Կատեգորիա:Հայ_կոմպոզիտորներ