Main Stage of the Digitization-Publication of the First Georgian Opera "Darejan Tsbieri" Completed
Recently, a project of historical significance for Georgian classical music and culture in general, the main stage of digitization-publication of the first Georgian opera "Darejan Tsbieri" has been completed.
From October 15 last year to February 15, 2022, with the financial support of donors and partners, the NGO V. Gunia Theater Artists' Youth Union worked on the project, but due to an objective reason caused by the pandemic, the presentation was postponed.
The process of digitization-publication of "Darejan Tsbieri" included the following stages: digitization-editing of the manuscript of the notes (Manana Zhgenti, Giorgi Shaverzashvili), processing-mastering of the audio material, creation of textual material (Prof. Marina Kavtaradze) libretto, and translation into English (Maia Kiasashvili) and editing. The original illustration especially for the project belongs to the artist Elene Melkadze. In addition, rare archival photographs were recovered as part of the project, a complete opera recording was recorded on discs from the Gold Fund, designer Manana Gunia designed the gift edition, and Cezanne Ltd provided the material for printing and printing.
The donor and financial supporter of this historic project is the Mukhrani Regional Economic Development Fund, and the partners are the Kutaisi Opera, the Tbilisi State Conservatory, the National Library, the Art Palace, the Georgian Composers' Creative Union and the Public Broadcaster's Golden Fund.
The special edition, which is the result of several months of intensive work and includes an opera note keyboard and a full audio recording, will be donated to the Zakaria Paliashvili State Opera and Ballet Theater in Tbilisi and the Meliton Balanchivadze Opera and Ballet State Theater in Kutaisi. The Darejan Tsbieri keyboard will also be donated to the Georgian National Library, the Palace of Arts, the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatory, the Composers' Union, the heirs of Meliton Balanchivadze, and libraries of various music universities, and the Georgian section of the Library of Congress.
According to the authors and inspirers of the project, the opera keyboard will allow students, teachers, and singers, if interested and willing, to perform and stage individual pieces of the opera, as well as prepare it for the big stage and transform it into a repertoire after preparing an orchestral score.
We would like to remind you that the first Georgian opera "Tamar Tsbieri" (later edition - "Darejan Tsbieri") belongs to the pen of the famous Georgian composer and founder of Georgian opera music, Meliton Balanchivadze. The notes of the work have been kept in manuscript form for decades and have never been published before. It is noteworthy that without this crucial project, this precious manuscript might have been lost forever to future generations.