The stage of Tbilisi’s Marjanishvili Theater trembled with the pulse of Buenos Aires as Astor Piazzolla’s iconic tango opera María de Buenos Aires unfolded before an enraptured audience. Over the course of four evenings—March 8, 9, 10, and 11—the hypnotic rhythms of nuevo tango merged with surreal poetry and evocative performances, bringing Piazzolla’s enigmatic María to life. The production, spearheaded by the Tbilisi State Chamber Orchestra ‘Georgian Sinfonietta’ and supported by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia and Tbilisi City Hall, stood as a testament to the universality of tango’s tragic heartbeat.
Unlike conventional operas, María de Buenos Aires is not bound by linear storytelling. The libretto by Horacio Ferrer—both poetic and elusive—blurs the lines between reality and hallucination, flesh and metaphor. María is not merely a protagonist; she is Buenos Aires itself, the very soul of tango incarnate. Born in the city’s outskirts, she is drawn into its seductive yet merciless embrace, only to perish and be reborn in a cycle of passion, exploitation, and transcendence. Her story is a reflection of tango’s own history—its birth in the brothels and streets, its rejection by high society, its decline, and its eventual renaissance.
The production’s brilliance lay in its seamless interplay of musicians, vocalists, and actors. The titular role of María was brought to life with haunting intensity by Mariam Chukhrukidze and Tamar Gochashvili, each imbuing the character with distinct shades of vulnerability and defiance. Tornike Sakhokia’s performance as the Payador—a poet, a voice of fate, a spectral observer—provided a brooding counterpoint to María’s volatile presence. Karlos Klaumannsmoller’s narration enveloped the audience in the opera’s dreamlike atmosphere, his voice threading the narrative’s surreal labyrinth with gravitas.
Under the masterful baton of German conductor Cornelia von Kerssenbrock, Georgian Sinfonietta navigated Piazzolla’s rhythmic complexities with fervor and precision. The hypnotic pull of the bandoneón, played by Argentinian virtuoso Marcelo Nisinman, became the opera’s heartbeat—breathing anguish and ecstasy into every note. Pianists Tamar Licheli and Teona Mikeladze, guitarist Vache Laliashvili, flutist Irakli Evstaphishvili, and percussionist Giorgi Melikishvili formed a tapestry of sound that mirrored Buenos Aires itself: chaotic, melancholic, and intoxicating.
The Directorial Vision: Where Dreams and Decay Collide
Director Davit Sakvarelidze’s interpretation leaned into the opera’s hallucinatory nature, crafting a world where past and present blurred into an intoxicating dreamscape. Set designer Nino Kobiashvili transformed the stage into a pulsating Buenos Aires—dark alleyways, greasy sofas in the favelas, gambling in the pubs, and spectral figures forming an ever-shifting urban nightmare. Mariana Fernández’s choreography wove traditional tango with expressive movement, capturing both the sensuality and violence of María’s journey.
The result was an experience that transcended performance—a fever dream where tango’s rhythms became an incantation, summoning ghosts of the past and visions of the future. This was not a mere retelling of María’s fate; it was an invocation of the eternal tango spirit that refuses to die.
The Heartbeat of the Performance: Georgian Sinfonietta and Cornelia von Kerssenbrock
At the core of this production was the Georgian Sinfonietta, one of Georgia’s leading chamber orchestras, renowned for their versatility and commitment to both classical and contemporary repertoire. Since its founding, the ensemble has been a major force in the country’s cultural landscape, performing a wide array of works that span Baroque, Romantic, and modern compositions. Their mastery of Piazzolla’s intricate and unpredictable rhythms was nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing their ability to blend classical precision with the raw, emotional fervor of tango.
Leading the orchestra was German conductor Cornelia von Kerssenbrock, whose nuanced and deeply expressive interpretation of Piazzolla’s score ensured that every phrase carried the weight of the story’s passion and despair. With an extensive background in both opera and symphonic music, Kerssenbrock brought a unique sensibility to the performance, shaping the music with a keen sense of drama and contrast. Her ability to balance the dynamic shifts of Piazzolla’s music—moving seamlessly between moments of fiery intensity and aching lyricism—elevated the production to new heights.
A Night of Shadows and Passion
For a city with a deep appreciation for classical and contemporary music, this production marked a cultural milestone. Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires is not merely a performance—it is an initiation into the hypnotic underworld of tango. Georgian audiences, accustomed to grand operatic narratives and symphonic majesty, found themselves immersed in something more elusive yet deeply visceral.
The success of María de Buenos Aires at Marjanishvili Theater signals an evolving cultural landscape in Tbilisi—one that embraces hybrid forms, boundary-pushing narratives, and global artistic dialogues. Through the lens of tango, the city connected with Buenos Aires across continents and decades, proving that passion, tragedy, and resurrection know no borders.
As the last notes of the bandoneón faded into silence, and María’s ghostly presence dissolved into the shadows, the audience was left with a lingering sense of longing—perhaps the very essence of tango itself. In the echoes of Piazzolla’s music, Tbilisi found itself momentarily transformed, wrapped in the melancholic embrace of Buenos Aires.
Astor Piazzolla once said that tango was not for the ears, but for the soul. If that is true, then for four nights, the soul of Tbilisi belonged to María de Buenos Aires.
By Ivan Nechaev
