A special album celebrating Giya Kancheli's 75th birthday: Born in Tbilisi on August 10, 1935, the Georgian composer initially dedicated himself to symphonic and chamber music, but also created numerous compositions for theater and film. His film scores enjoyed great popularity in the former Soviet Union, while he was still seeking recognition in the West.
For this special project, ECM invited musician Dino Saluzzi to reinterpret Kancheli's stage and film compositions in his own creative way. Gidon Kremer, a longtime supporter and friend of Kancheli's, also wanted to contribute to the composer's birthday celebration. The participation of these two artists lent the project additional depth. The fusion of these different musical worlds was skillfully orchestrated by vibraphonist Pushkarev. He developed arrangements that were recorded with Kremer in Riga, while simultaneously intuitively guiding Saluzzi's relaxed approach during the recording sessions in Oslo.
Nine of the presented themes stem from Kancheli's artistic collaboration with the internationally renowned theater director Robert Sturua. The album also includes musical works from films by Georgi Danelia, Eldar Shengelaia, Sergei Bodrov, Lana Gogoberidze, and other filmmakers.