Georgian traditional music is characterised by a wide variety of genres. Traditional songs were an integral part of rural life, which gave them a great diversity. Every key moment of life and every action – work, marriage, religious ritual, illness, mourning – was accompanied by a corresponding music or song. However, some songs are no longer sung in the same context today: they have either disappeared or have evolved into, for example, table songs accompanying the feasting tradition, or supra.

In this session intended as an introduction to Georgian folk, Nino Rekhviashvili will explore some of the genres that make up this rich musical folklore. She will present a number of songs, as well as the folk traditions to which they relate. The audience will also be able to discover songs belonging to the same genre, but with different stylistic qualities depending on the region they come from.

Nino Rekhviashvili is a Georgian traditional singer, multi-instrumentalist and liturgical speaker. A member of the pioneering women’s ensembles Ialoni (2014-2020) and Margaliti (since 2020), she has given numerous singing masterclasses for various audiences both in Georgia and abroad.

In a friendly atmosphere, sitting around the tables in the foyer (bar) of the Molière Theatre, the ICTM Talks are a series of lectures on six different musical traditions and the culture from which they originate. Each of the six sessions will be devoted to a different style of music, its associated repertoire and territory, and presented by specialists from the arts, academia or enthusiasts of the style of music in question.

An initiative of Muziekpublique & ICTM Belgium