The festival ‘Night Serenades,’ founded by the legendary musician Liana Isakadze, has got us into an annual habit of being able to enjoy interesting and enriching discoveries at numerous delightful musical evenings.
The company ‘Art Alliance’ has been the organizer of Night Serenades for four years, and so GEORGIA TODAY decided to sit down with the company’s founder and festival director Nina Tsagareli to find out more about this year’s event.
What does the thirteenth international festival Night Serenades promise loyal listeners?
We promise you as unique and interesting evenings this year as ever, as we host famous, talented Georgian and foreign musicians. Renowned soloists and conductors, among them Maestro Vakhtang Machavariani, Italian bandoneonist Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, German clarinetist Sabine Grofmeier, Maestro Nikoloz Rachveli, singer Sopho Khalvashi, and pianist and composer Sandro Nebieridze, will take part in the festival. For the second year in a row, Sandro has created new works for the festival as requested by Giorgi Isakadze, the artistic director of Night Serenades and the founder and director of the Music and Dance Academy in Ingolstadt and Munich.
It is also noteworthy that this year’s festival pays special attention to the cognitive-educational program for students and youth, which includes sectoral masterclasses and workshops. I should also mention that the festival is sticking to its tradition of inviting experienced and world-famous Georgian and foreign artists to share their experiences with the younger generations. As society and music lovers already know, our goal is to support the musical education of young talented teenagers and promote their professional development, not only in the capital but also in the regions of Georgia.
What made the Batumi concert night of Night Serenades so special?
The Batumi Concert Evening was dedicated to the friendship of the Georgian and Italian people, and we celebrated the 110th anniversary of the famous Italian composer Nino Rota. The virtuoso Italian bandoneonist Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi really fascinated the audience with his amazing program. “The Italian People” is the name of a work written by Maestro Nikoloz Rachveli during the pandemic in support of the Italian people, and Night Serenades’ attendees got to hear it live for the first time. I should also mention the brilliant performance of the famous Georgian singer Sopho Khalvashi within the framework of the festival.
Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Oblivion” with Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, Maestro Nikoloz Rachveli, and Sopho Khalvashi was heard for the first time on stage. Their creative collaboration left the audience very excited.
The festival, together with renowned and successful musicians, always pays great attention to talented young musicians. At this year’s festival, we introduced the musicians of the Konstantine Vardel Quartet to the audience. During the festival, they had the opportunity to work with maestro Nikoloz Rachveli and musician Mikheil Kartvelishvili, with virtuoso Italian musician Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi.
What treats does the Tbilisi concert promise us?
The Tbilisi concert will be a real celebration for music lovers. Maestro Vakhtang Machavariani, famous German clarinetist Sabine Grofmeier, young talented pianist and composer Sandro Nebieridze, and the main pearl of Night Serenades- the festival’s basic orchestra “Georgian Virtuosana,” an amazing orchestra formed by Liana Isakadze. It was created with a unique concept, as all members are musicians with distinguished talent, successfully working in Georgia or abroad. The main conductor of the orchestra will be Maestro Vakhtang Machavariani, the conductor is musician Sergo Eroyan, and the concertmaster is violinist Lela Mchedlidze.
As the director of the festival, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the traditional supporters of the festival: the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia, Batumi City Hall, Tbilisi City Hall, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, the Italian and German embassies in Georgia and the company “Ardi.”
Thanks too, to all the supporters of the festival and all the media partners. Thanks to our team, musicians, and our festival listeners for their loyalty.
It is important to hold the festival continuously. Last year, when we finished negotiating with the festival guests and the contracts were signed, a world pandemic broke out. The solution was to hold the festival online. It is this format that made it possible for music lovers to enjoy the festival’s concert program from anywhere in the world. Lots of people watched the broadcast of the concerts, expressing amazing emotions and gratitude to the festival and the performers.
Music is an international language, the main thing is to enjoy it and perceive what is happening on the stage at a particular moment.
Night Serenades is the oldest festival in Georgia, created by a world legend, it counts decades, and I am proud of its existence.
