Autumn in Tbilisi Kicks Off with Eliso Virsaladze's Birthday Concert
On September 14, the Djansug Kakhidze Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture hosted a sold-out concert that marked the beginning of the thirty-third season of the Autumn Tbilisi International Music Festival. The concert was a special one, serving as a celebration of Eliso Virsaladze, a renowned Georgian pianist celebrated for her distinguished career in both Georgia and the global concert scene.
Under the leadership of Vakhtang Kakhidze, the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, providing a necessary canvas for the evening's design. The orchestra maintained cohesion, allowing Virsaladze's performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor to remain the center of gravity. Kakhidze's approach to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony was marked by continuity rather than grandeur, creating a harmonious backdrop for Virsaladze's performance.
Virsaladze's interpretation of Beethoven's music is characterized by a focus on pianistic depth, clarity of form, and a stripped-down style, eschewing ornamentation. This was evident in her handling of Beethoven's pages during the concert, as she delivered a performance that was both concentrated and transparent.
The cadenza in Virsaladze's performance of Beethoven's Third Concerto was a summit of thought, showcasing her mastery of the piano. The Largo was sustained with patience, creating an interior chapel-like atmosphere that moved the audience. The ovation for Eliso Virsaladze's performance at the concert carried an unmistakable tone of reverence, acknowledging a career that has already entered legend.
Eliso Virsaladze's teaching, recordings, and insistence on clarity of form were all evident in her performance. Her presence at the concert connected Georgian audiences with a history of interpretation shaped in Moscow and extended across Europe.
Ivan Nechaev, in his review of the concert, emphasised that Eliso Virsaladze's Beethoven speaks with a voice invested in the logic of phrase, the breath of silence, and the architecture of time. The concert moved beyond the level of repertoire and performance into the realm of cultural biography, making it a significant event in the Georgian music scene.
The festival's opening night felt less like a ceremonial beginning of a season and more like a collective gesture of gratitude towards Eliso Virsaladze. The choice to open the Autumn Tbilisi International Music Festival with Eliso Virsaladze's interpretation of Beethoven was a statement, emphasizing music as belonging to the sphere of continuity, inheritance, and truth. As the festival continues, it is clear that Eliso Virsaladze's career continues to evolve, despite already entering legend.
