Georgian Philharmonic, Dudana Mazmanishvili, Nikoloz Rachveli in Hamburg concert for Caucasus Festival

A classical concert involving the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Dudana Mazmanishvili and conductor Nikoloz Rachveli marked an ongoing Caucasus Festival at Hamburg’s state-of-the-art Elbphilharmonie theatre on Monday.

With an audience of over 2,000 listeners filling the Grand Hall of the major venue, the show saw a performance of works by three generations of composers.

Compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff were played in the musical program that also featured pieces by Rachveli and internationally recognised composer Giya Kancheli.

See a short video of the conclusion of Monday's concert, filmed by audience member Thea Andronikashvili:

‘Sad and simple at the same time’ is how Giya Kancheli describes his own music. The Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra completes the Kancheli spotlight [at Elbphilharmonie] with a performance of his Fifth Symphony”, said the venue’s program for the event.

Kancheli’s music was also on the agenda for an earlier concert by Ensemble Resonanz, which performed the composer’s Night Prayers in the Recital Hall.

The matinee show fell within the ongoing Caucasus Festival at the Hamburg theatre, as orchestras, artists and film screenings from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are hosted at Elbphilharmonie through Sunday.

Launched on March 28, the festival has also showcased the Georgian Chamber Orchestra of Ingolstadt, pianists Khatia and Gvantsa Buniatishvili, the Anchistkhati Choir and the Aznash Ensemble from the country.

The Aznash Ensemble from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge introduced festival audience to their "fascinating musical hub between the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia". Photo: Elbphilharmonie.

Also in the program, vocal performers Nukri Kapanadze and Keti Klimiashvili were joined by Nino Guliashvili on piano and Nino Tskitishvili on guitar for a March 31 show titled Supra — A Feast.

They performed along with German actors and German-based Georgian author and director Nino Kharatishvili at the theatre.

The Caucasus Festival will be continued with film screenings, including seven examples of Soviet-era and contemporary Georgian film over this week.

With Otar Iosseliani’s 1970 feature Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird and Sergei Parajanov’s 1984 The Legend of the Suram Fortress, the cinema program will also include 2013 shorts Auditorium and Monday Evening, produced or co-produced in Germany by Marika Lapauri-Burk and Niko Tarielashvili.

Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross’ award-winning 2017 feature My Happy Family and Levan Kitia’s works Like an Island and Dukhavoi from the same year will also be screened to audiences in Hamburg.