Dimitri Arakishvili (1873-1953) - Georgia

[Christopher]

Dimitri Arakishvili (1873-1953) – Georgia

დიმიტრი არაყიშვილი

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

Dmitry Egnate Atakashvili (d. February 23 [c. st. 11 February] , 1873 , Vladikavkaz - c. 13 August , 1953 , Tbilisi ) - Georgian composer, musicologist-ethnographer, teacher and public figure. One of the founders of Georgian professional music. People's Artist of the USSR ( 1929 ). Academician of the Georgian SSR ( 1950 ). USSR State Prize Laureate ( 1950 ).
Arakishvili spent his youth in the North Caucasus - Armavir and Ekaterinodar (now Krasnodar). a love of music in them Arakishvili l. Agniashvili's Georgian choir (led by I. Ratil ), first heard in Armavir in 1890. His first works include the novel "My Murderer, I Know, I Know" (poem by I. Chavchavadze ) and Georgian dance for piano. 1894 - 1901 he studied at the Moscow Philharmonic Society Atakashvili musical drama school, he successfully finished a. Ilinsky (composition), s. Kruglikov (Theoretical Subjects) and V. Conducted by Kess (conductor).
During his stay in Moscow ( 1894 - 1918 ) Arakishvili established close relations with prominent Russian musicians and scientists ( S. Taneev , A. Kastalsky , M. Ipolitov-Ivanov , S. Paschalov, M. Piatnitsky ). During this period he passionately collected, researched and propagated Georgian folklore. His interest in folk music creativity connected him closely with the University of Moscow Music and Ethnography Commission. By order of this commission, the Arakishvili four ( 1901 , 1902 , 1904 , 1908)) Organized a scientific expedition to various regions of Georgia and collected a large amount of musical material (over 500 folk songs), which was subsequently published in three large collections with extensive research and commentary. Arakishvili's works publicly demonstrated the authenticity of Georgian folk music.
In 1906 Arakishvili, along with leading Russian musicians, founded the "People's Conservatory" where he taught himself. Two years later, he founded free music courses for the poorest students in Arbat. With his personal guidance and dedication in 1908 , the progressive magazine "Muzika i Zizni" was published in Moscow, which he himself edited for several years. At the same time he was an active member of the Moscow "Georgian Society of Science, Art and Literature" led by A. Sumbatashvili-Eugene.
Creativity [ Edit | [Edit source ]
Public, pedagogical, and scholarly work put Arakishvili in a strenuous creative endeavor. This period includes more than twenty of his best novels, Opera "Shota Rustaveli" ( 1904 ), set on the stage of the Tbilisi Opera House in 1919 (beginning with scenic history of the Georgian National Opera), symphonic image of "Anthem of Ormuzd" 1911 ) and many choral works.
1918 Arakishvili settles in Georgia and his main task is to train young musicians. In 1921 a second conservatory was established in Tbilisi on his own initiative , with which he formed a choral class, a string quartet, an opera studio. 1926 - 1930 Arakishvili was the Director of the Tbilisi Conservatoire ( 1923 - both conservatories merged), the Chair of the Department, the Dean of the Faculty of Composition. 1932 He heads the Union of Georgian Composers. In Soviet times, Arakishvili's work was enriched by works of various genres (comic opera "Dinara", symphonies, cantata).
The most extensive and important part of Arakishvili's heritage is chamber-vocal lyric. In this genre, the composer has created truly classic artifacts. The literary-poetic basis of the romance creations (Hafiz, A. Pushkin , A. Fett , I. Polonsky , A. Mikov , I. Chavchavadze , N. Baratashvili , G. Kuchishvili , G. Tabidze ) are very diverse, his novels are distinguished by melody and Expressive, shaped with plasticity and laconicity, exquisite harmonious color. Particularly noteworthy are "On the Iveria Mountains", "Don't Sing, Beautiful" ( Pushkin), "Rise, Shine", "Come to the Kingdom of the Roses of Flowers", "Siov Nazo" (Hafiz), "Starry Night" ( A. Fett ), "I Love You" (M. Davidova), "The Night Is Dark", The "Urmuli", "Urmuli" ( G. Kuchishvili ), which were widely distributed among the people, were established in concert and pedagogical repertoire. It is noteworthy that numerous novels prepared the ground for Arakishvili's opera "Shota Rustaveli". The stylistic peculiarities of the opera are defined by the same intonation (the eastern flow of Old Tbilisi musical folklore) that Arakishvili's music evolved from. The opera was based on a folk tale about one dramatic episode of Rustaveli's life (libretto by Al. Khakhanashvili, s. Shaniashvili , I. Mchedlishvili). The intimate nature of the story and the widespread use of romantic forms gave the opera a chamber character. Separate opera excerpts have gained widespread recognition (intro, Tamari's Kawatina, Shota Aria, The Song of the Mogul, Urmuli, duo of Abdul-Arabi and Rusudan).
Arakishvili , along with other Georgian composers of the older generation ( M. Balanchivadze , Z. Paliashvili , N. Sulkhanishvili , V. Dolidze ) is recognized as the founder of the National Composition School.
Buried in Didube Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures . the Didube Pantheon buried his wife - Matrona Gerasime daughter Kupriyanov (d. October 20 , 1885 in the village. vasilevskaia, the current Moscow region - c. 14 February , 1946 , Tbilisi ) - 1953 September Kukia from the cemetery were transferred to Didube Pantheon.
Dimitri Arakishvili (Georgian: დიმიტრი არაყიშვილი) (11 February 1873 – 13 August 1953)[1] was a Georgian composer and ethnomusicologist considered as one of the founding fathers of modern Georgian music. He was also known by his Russified name Dimitry Ignatyevich Arakchiev (Russian: Димитрий Игнатьевич Аракчиев).
Born in Vladikavkaz, Terek Oblast, Russian Empire (now North Ossetia, Russia), he graduated, in 1901, from the School of Music and Drama operated by Moscow Philharmonic Society where he was tutored by Alexander Grechaninov and Willem Kes. In addition he graduated from the Moscow Archaeological Institute in 1917. He helped found the Moscow People's Conservatory and offered free musical classes in Arbat Square in 1906. From 1908 to 1912, was editor-in-chief of the journal Muzika i zhizn. One of his major interests was Georgian folk music and he traveled throughout Georgia collecting traditional music and over 500 folk songs from 1901 to 1908. When Georgia established an independent republic in 1918, Arakishvili moved to Tbilisi and founded a conservatory which was merged with the Tbilisi State Conservatory in 1923. He taught and composed, and directed the Conservatory from 1926 to 1929. He was actively involved in collecting and popularizing Georgian folk songs and published books on Georgian folk music. Since 1932, he chaired the Union of Georgian Composers. In 1950, he was awarded the Stalin Prize.


Most recordings of his music seem to be excerpts from his opera "The Legend of Shota Rustaveli".  (Rustaveli, c.1160-c.1200, is the Chaucer of Georgian literature, except that Georgians relate to him with their hearts and souls in a way that English don't about their writers. His novel or epic poem, 'The Knight in the Panther Skin', can be recited at length by most Georgians.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do6LMgnQ4PY – Tamara's cavatina, for mezzosoprano, from The Legend of Shota Rustaveli -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8pfF2q5ieI - Abdul-Arabe's arioso, from The Legend of Shota Rustaveli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4uvALeJBw - Tamara's cavatina, for mezzosoprano, from The Legend of Shota Rustaveli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vKamx4ZXls&t=4163s - Urmuli from The Legend of Shota Rustaveli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN3_zelZ50k – Duet, from The Legend of Shota Rustaveli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnVYKfxzT8 - To the starry night - Georgian romance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqSPpF0YMhg - Friend, (song)

There is also an aria from that opera on this Naxos CD - https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572438

[Christopher]

https://www.georgian-music.com/31-portraits/5-georgian-composers

Composer, folk music collector, public figure, teacher. One of the founders of Georgian professional music. The People's Artist of Republic of Georgia honorary title holder (1929). Academician of the Academy of Georgia (1950). While working in Moscow (till 1918) headed four expeditions to different regions of Georgia to collect folk music resulting in 3 monographs. Editor of main music magazines of that time. Founder of the second conservatory in Georgia (the first one was headed by Hippolitov-Ivanov), In 1924 both conservatories were merged and Arakishvili was appointed as a director of conservatory (1926 – 1930). First Chairman of the Georgian Composers' Union (1932). Author of the opera "Tale on Shota Rustaveli" (1919), symphonic poem "Hymn Ornuzds", opera-buffo "Live is Gladness" ("Dinara", 1926), symphonic picture "Hymn to the New East" (1933). Romances and works for piano – "Georgian Dance". Music for films ("Jurgai's Shield", 1944).

[Christopher]

I have been able to obtain a copy of a 1966 complete performance of the opera "The Legend of Shota Rustaveli", made by the staff and students of the Tbilisi Conservatoire but never released.  It's in the downloads section.

Tbilisi Conservatoire Opera Studio Orchestra and Choir
Conductor – Zakatia Khurodze
Soloists, Tbilisi Conservatoire students and postgraduate students:
Shota – A. Gogolashvili
Tamar – Elza Garsevanishvili
also: V. Kublashvili, A. Kenkia, N. Goguashvili, G. Rekhviashvili, Anzor Shomakhia, T. Togonidze etc.

Note - as mentioned above, Shota Rustaveli is revered in Georgia as that country's greatest writer. Believed to have lived approx 1160-1220. 

Queen Tamar (or Tamara)  is regarded as one of Georgia's greatest monarchs - ruled 1184 to 1213. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamar_of_Georgia


I could only find a Synopsis in Georgian - I'm afraid that putting it through Georgian translate doesn't tell us much:

The content of this opera is taken from a Svan legend.

In his youth, Shota Rustaveli fell in love with one woman, who after a few years forgot about studying abroad and started another. Returning to his homeland, Shota, as a celebrated poet, invited Queen Tamar to a hunt for the magnificent development of Georgia.

One young boy will come to Shota in joy and proclaim:

"All this is good, great poet, but why not pay attention to what's happening in your home."

"What are you saying, boy, what is wrong with my house?" "Go and see for yourself what is going on."

Are going through. The dance is in full swing.

Shota enters the house at a time when his wife, Abdul-Arabi, a Shota's servant, has fallen in love. The viewer of this picture was Shota Jawr. And the young lad comforts her. Shota, an angry man from Bohemia, tells the boy that he should not show this behavior to him. In doing so, he makes a mistake, and because of this mischief, he pulls out a dagger to kill him, but sees the seal on his boy's hand. The boy goes over his hat and Shota sees the woman's hair. It turned out to be his first baby (Nino).

The devastated Shota goes to the monastery, and Nino kills Shota.