Giya Kancheli: Little Imber on ECM
ECM Records are honouring the work of Giya Kancheli. Regulary refered to as the greatest living Georgian composer, Kanchelli has drawn unsolicited comparisons with Arvo Pärt and John Taverner and built an oeuvre that has met with both critical acclaim and (relative) commercial ardor. On “Little Imber”, the “Nederlands Kamerkoo”r conducted by Klaas Stok, the “Rascher Saxophone Quartet”, one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious Saxophone ensembles (and that’s saying quite a bit!) as well as a long list of soloists and guests on voice and guitar dive headlong into two long choral pieces by Giya Kancheli. “Amao Omi” for mixed choir and saxophone quartet and the title track, a work for small ensemble, voice, children's and men's choirs. “Little Imber” has been described by ECM as “a ‘site-specific’ work, profoundly melancholic yet with a hint or irony, directly inspired by the English village of the same name, a ghost-town since it was evacuated and turned over to the US army for military manoeuvres in 1943.”
“Amao Omi” (“senseless war”), meanwhile is said to be “a moving sound tapestry” made up of “phonetic text”. Next to the obvious musical qualities of all parties involved here, “Little Imber” is also a feast for everyone with a deeper interest in the oeuvre of Giya Kancheli, whose discography has usually followed his outwardly main field of interest: Symphonies and large-scale orchestral works. On the other hand, the avoidance of the obvious has become almost a modus operandi for his working relationship with ECM, who have already published a full nine CDs with his music.
Recordings of both pieces are still relatively fresh. Taped in 2003 and 2006, they offer a clear picture of Giya Kancheli’s style in between classical music, contemporary modes of expression and the folk tradition of his Georgian home.
Picture by Sarah Ainslie
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