An interesting lecture about Georgia’s polyphonic music tradition was given by Prof. George (Gia) Baghashvili of the University of Caucasus in Georgia, on Thursday 23 June at the premise of the EPLO in Plaka district, in Athens.
The lecture was entitled "Georgia of Today through a Musical Window" and organized by the EPLO in cooperation with the Embassy of Georgia to Greece.
Introduction speeches were given by the Director of the EPLO Professor Spyridon Flogaitis and the Ambassador of Georgia to Greece Mr. Ioseb Nanobashvili.
Polyphonic music is worlds-renowned and calls upon an enchanting combination of ancient and modern harmonies. As Mr. Baghashvili said, UNESCO acknowledged this music as “a masterpiece of the world’s intangible cultural heritage” and its unique, slightly dissonant style has not changed for centuries.
The songs, made up of three-part-harmonies, are still the life blood of modern society. They can be heard in churches and monasteries across the country; down Tbilisi’s back-streets; or across the village fields.
George (Gia) Baghashvili, PhD, is a well-known Georgian folklorist, ethnomusicologist and cultural activist. He is General Director of the Artistic Union “Lomisi,” a Georgian creative association. In 2000, he was awarded by the Georgian State a Prize for the creation of the Mengrelian songs potpourri. Dr. Baghashvili also has led several folkloric television and radio programs. He is the author of numerous scholarly publications and participant of the regular Tbilisi International Symposia on Traditional Polyphony.
Georgia is a member state of the EPLO.
