Pianist Giorgi Gigashvili strikes a political note

DW (English)

Giorgi Gigashvili of Georgia is a piano virtuoso in the concert arena and an activist in the political arena. He’d like his country to open up to the EU.

Transcript

00:00Georgian pianist Georgi Gigashvili is passionate about everything he does, especially music.

00:15And also about political issues affecting his country, Georgia.

00:19We are fighting for our European path because it's the only path we can stand for.

00:28But how does Georgi combine his highest virtuosity with political engagement?

00:33Now it's good, but what has changed?

00:38He does it through musical symbolism.

00:47Alongside the Ensemble Reflektor at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Gigashvili played his Composition

00:53for Piano, Electronics and String Orchestra.

00:56A piece that embodies the long-running conflict between Georgia and neighboring Russia that

01:01in 2008 spilled into open warfare.

01:16It feels very Georgian, very, very melancholic, which is the base of Georgian soul.

01:30Gigashvili sees classical music as something for everyone, and as a way to address the

01:34burning issues of the day.

01:46My piece is a response to the days we've been through in March 2023, because the law,

02:01Russian law, was introduced in Georgia against foreign agents, which is completely nonsense.

02:13This law requires organizations and media that receive at least 20% of their financing

02:18from abroad to register with the state, which puts up roadblocks to their work.

02:23In March 2023, along with many others, Georgi took to the streets in protest, but in vain.

02:32After that, my political engagement grew like much, much, much more.

02:41And it was the starting point of me being very open to the people about my opinions.

02:55Music has been the focus of Georgi's life since childhood.

02:58He's been a star in Georgia since he first appeared on that country's version of The

03:02Voice Kids.

03:04After rehearsals in Bonn, he's got time for a chat along the Rhine.

03:08Besides classical music, Georgi's also interested in Georgian folk music, pop, and contemporary

03:13club tracks.

03:16This musical freedom means that I'm free in me.

03:24So I have, I think, very open-minded perceptions about everything.

03:43The other pieces Georgi performed at the Beethoven Festival also have a political aspect, such

03:48as the Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra by German-Russian composer Alfred Schnittke.

03:58It premiered in 1979 in the former Soviet Union.

04:04It's very lonely melodies, and to be lonely in this kind of systems, in Soviet Union system,

04:17means that you can have your own voice, but you have to keep it to yourself.

04:32A celebrated musician with conviction, Georgi Gigashvili's commitment to his art and principles

04:37makes him a powerful force for change.

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