Born in Tbilisi in 1935, Giya Kancheli was undoubtedly Georgia's most famous composer, despite being a relatively latecomer to so-called "artistic" music, having cultivated jazz until his twenties. It was only under the presidency of Nikita Khrushchev, who implemented a policy of thaw, that the Soviet Union began to perform works by both Russian composers, such as Stravinsky—who, however, had left their country before the October Revolution—and Western composers, such as Charles Ives, whose Unanswered Question  had a profound effect on Kancheli, who was struck by the work's spiritual and mystical character. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kancheli moved first to Berlin and then to Antwerp in 1995. During his time in his homeland, Kancheli shaped his musical world, imbued with profound spirituality, through the symphonic genre. He contributed to it, in fact, with no less than seven symphonies composed over a twenty-year period from 1967, the year of his First Symphony , to 1986, the year of his Seventh , which he entitled Epilogue to demonstrate his desire not to write any more compositions in this genre, which, however, had given him so much satisfaction, culminating in the recognition paid to his Fourth Symphony, “In Memory of Michelangelo” , dating back to 1976. In this symphonic production of his, elements drawn from the Georgian tradition coexist with others from 20th-century Russian symphonism. If, on the one hand, in fact, Kancheli always manifested a strong connection with the Georgian tradition and with the choral polyphony of the Orthodox liturgy, which, although never directly cited, influenced his tones, sometimes contemplative, sometimes sublime, on the other, he remained faithful to the formal characteristics and compositional techniques used by Russian composers.

Kancheli

Teatro Politeama Garibaldi

Unfortunately, there is no symphony by the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi. However, the Italian did compose a melodious string quartet, which the American double bassist and university professor Lucas Drew arranged for string orchestra and entitled "Symphony." It promises a special listening experience.

Chiaroscuro

Zeughaus Neuss

Smiles and seismic tremors: We ring in the season with a concert that embraces the expressive power of the entire symphonic spectrum.

Shostakovich 5

Aarhus Music Hall

The encounter between different cultures is at the centre of the 1st symphony concert. Mischa Tangian composed the piece The Order of Time for percussion and orchestra especially for this concert, in which European and non-European musical cultures meet. The sound of the Staatsorchester Stuttgart is combined with the sound of non-European musical instruments, played by soloist Roshanak Rafani and members of the Babylon Orchestra. 

1. Symphony Concert

 Beethoven Hall (Beethovensaal)

EPSG:4326

Julie Albers Plays Elgar’s Cello Concerto

Shepherd of The Valley Lutheran Church

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Despite its popularity, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto remains refreshingly original with its exciting and altogether exceptional opening and richly forged musical dramas of powerful virtuosity and of uncommon sensitivity. Karabits’ concerto, subtitled Lamentations, takes inspiration from two tragedies that befell Ukraine in the 20th century – the Stalin policy induced famine of 1932-33 and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Eclectically scored with theatrical gestures, it is modern orchestral music rooted in tradition. In the predominantly meditative Styx, the viola acts as an intermediary between the lands of the living and the dead. It is also the go-between for the orchestra and the chorus, which sings a patchwork text made up of the names of churches, and the titles of folksongs and lullabies from the composer’s native Georgia. Originally composed for solo piano, Balakirev’s virtuosic Islamey is an oriental fantasy inspired by melodies from the Caucasus Mountains.

Voices From the East

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts

See the Orchestra in rehearsal for one final time this season, as Kirill prepares for Voices from the East — the first in a trilogy of concerts to round off his illustrious tenure as Chief Conductor!

Join us for tea and coffee in Function Room 2 at Lighthouse from 3.45pm, before a short introduction to the rehearsal by our Head of Concerts and Artistic Planning Heather Duncan. We’ll head into the Concert Hall at approximately 4.30pm*, when the Orchestra returns to the stage after their afternoon break.

Open Rehearsal with Kirill Karabits

“Our Glorious Life concert is deeply personal. And I’m really excited for it.  Birth and death are the most profound and mystical occurrences of the human life cycle. There is nothing more celebrated or mourned than the ‘into’ and ‘out of’ our human life. And there is nothing more questioned than the ins and outs. Where did we come from? Where do we go? Is there life before life? Is there life after death? Who knows the answers?  We turn to religion, spiritual practices, psychics, priests, gurus, doctors.  Books have been written about different accounts of people with Near Death Experiences.

Giya Kancheli

Events

Past events

20 - 21 Mar, 2026

Kancheli · Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana

Feb 8, 2026

Chiaroscuro · Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein

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