CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 9 - 12, 2018
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Wardrop Inheritance: A Journey through Translation from Georgia Dr Gillian Evison, Head of Bodleian libraries’ Oriental Section and Indian Institute Librarian and Chair of the Marjory Wardrop Fund presented a talk about the importance of the Wardrop heritage and priorities of the Marjory Wardrop Fund, including teaching of the Georgian language and supporting translation from Georgian. Lia Chokoshvili, who has been teaching the Georgian language at the Oxford University Language Center for more than 20 years, spoke on the entire ‘journey through translation’ right from creation of the idea all the way to its publishing. Translators Clifford Marcus and Walker Thompson shared their experience on the peculiarities of translating from Georgian, while Emily Tamkin, Geoffrey Gosby and Oliver Matthews ‘joined’ the event through their recorded video-messages as they were not able to attend the book launch itself. Later, guests had the chance to purchase the book. Discussions about the book and Georgian literature in general continued during the wine reception, also hosted by the Embassy of Georgia. The Royal Asiatic Society has an important historic significance for translation of Georgian literature. In 1912, the translation of Shota Rustaveli’s “Knight in the Panther’s Skin” by Marjory Wardrop was published there for the first time.
BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES
O
n November 6, a book launch ‘Unlocking the Door: Writing from Georgia’ was presented jointly by the Embassy of Georgia to the UK and the Royal Asiatic Society. The book, published by Cezanne Printing House, contains pieces of translation from Georgian by students of the University of Oxford, supervized and edited by Lia Chokoshvili, a Georgian language tutor at the Oxford University Language Center. The book brings together short stories and plays by Erlom Akhvlediani, Guram Rcheulishvili, Lasha Tabukashvili,GoderdziChokheliandAkaMorchiladze. Dr Alison Ohta, Director of the Royal Asiatic Society, and Neli Shiolashvili, Senior Counsellor of the Embassy of Georgia, addressed the audience with welcome remarks. Donald Rayfield, Professor of Georgian and Russian Studies at the Queen Mary University of London, who rendered editorial assistance to the translators of ‘Unlocking the Door’, talked about the successes and challenges of translating from the Georgian language.
Georgia’s Got Talent BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE
T
his is something comparable to the Italian school of operatic singing – the supplier of vocal stars to the world. Yet, it so happened in life that the Georgian classic singers have also conquered the world’s most illustrious stages and this is no longer news for anybody, having been the case for the last hundred years, starting with the legend of operatic singing, Tenor Vano Sarajishvili, the famous Georgian Nightingale, and ending with Georgian soprano Nino Lezhava, currently the Artistic Director of the Renata Tebaldi & Mario Del Monaco International Singing Academy of Pesaro in Italy. Georgian operatic male and female stars are singing all over the planet and each of them absolutely deserve an individual contribution in this wonderful weekly edition of ours. This particular journalistic instance is totally bestowed to Nino Lezhava. Thanks to her initiative and organizational efforts, in close and longstanding cooperation with the Georgian Embassy in Rome, our opera performers successfully participated in musical events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the great Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini, born in 1792 in Pesaro, one of the Papal States of Italy. The first concert was held on November 4 at the Teatro Comunale di Cagli and the second on November 6 at the Teatro della Fortuna di Fano. The outstanding group of the Batumi Musical Center, complete with conductor Davit Mukeria and soloists, tenor Irakli Kakhidze, Soprano Nino Lezhava, Mezzo-soprano Inga Jakhutashvili, and Base Sulkhan Jaiani, staged the most perfect presentation of the well-known Stabat Mater by Rossini. Speaking historically, Rossini’s masterpiece has sounded through centuries in almost every country of the globe. The latest concert was a direct
product of mutual cooperation between the Pesaro Academy and the Batumi Center. Last November, the Days of Culture of Pesaro were held in Batumi, which was the great mutual success of the Pesaro Municipality and the Georgian Embassy in Italy. Following it was the Days of Georgian Culture in Pesaro last April, which was organized by the Embassy and the Leadership of the city of Pesaro, headed by the Pesaro Vice-Mayor Daniele Vimini as well as under the patronage of the Marche Region of Italy. It has to be specially noted that Daniele Vimini is truly a devoted patron and untiring leader of all those Italian-Georgian musical exchanges, attracting the most amazing attention of the public in both countries, especially those which have been performed in honor of the universally beloved Italian composer. The musical festival was also dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of UNESCO activities in Pesaro. The well-known Georgian Soprano Nino Lezhava, who is currently working in Italy at the Pesaro Singing Academy, gave a solo concert at the Batumi Music Center on October 25, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Batumi State Symphony Orchestra. Nino performed in the accompaniment of the Orchestra and the Choir. The concert was conducted by the director of the Belgrade State Opera Savic, who was visiting Batumi as a special guest of honor. On October 26, Lezhava conducted a master class at the Paliashvili Music Concert Hall. Following that, she selected young listeners for the master class of Jose Carreras, the outstanding Spanish opera singer, which is going to take place between January 19 and 26 at the Rossini Opera Theater in the city of Pesaro in Italy. Notably, she chose one young singer to attend the class for free. The musical cooperation between Georgia and Italy continues with great vigor and professionalism, all included – friendship, culture, politics and celebrations of the talent of both nations.
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