Filmed by Jeremy Finlay.
A workshop with Edisher Garakanidze in 1997, 23 years ago! The singers have never heard Georgian music, few had at that time. We had asked Edisher to teach Church songs, not realising their difficulty and intensity. He taught 4 songs in 2 hours. After the filming ended he offered apologetically a joyful wedding song which perfectly relieved the tension.
This was one of Edisher's earliest visits to the UK after appearing at Giving Voice Aberystwyth . It coincided I believe with a session at the National Theatre workshop, preparing actors for a version of Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle with Georgian songs. We organised a second visit the following year but it was never to be as he was tragically killed in a car accident in Tbilisi shortly before the event.
Edisher's work in this session remains a benchmark for teaching Georgian songs, even though the climate has changed dramatically as singers have adapted to the genre with new visiting teachers (Edisher's pupils from Tbilisi Conservatory) and visits to Georgia.
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