Surprise concert:  A wave of sentiment fills the hall

Date: February 21, 2004 (Sat.) 12:00 p.m. Venue: Gymnasium, Gohongi Elementary School

“Ensemble Mtskheta”

-Georgian Polyphonic Choral Music and Dancing -

           “A Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”                                                                          proclaimed by UNESCO

It sounded like a chorus of angels coming down from the Garden of Eden. Yes, Georgia is said to be greatly influenced by the ancient story of Eden. Mt. Ararat, known as the place Noah’s ark landed after escaping the great flood, is located in neighbouring Turkey and to the south of Georgia. Northwest of Georgia’s current capital, Tbilisi, is Mtskheta; an ancient capital that prospered from 4th century BC to 6th century AD. And it is this historical district that UNESCO has designated as a World Heritage Site.

 Ensemble Mtskheta performed for the World Traditional Performing Arts Festival and kindly spared time to give a goodwill concert at Gohongi Elementary School, before leaving for their home country from Narita airport. Polyphonic singing is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity that have been declared by UNESCO.

All vocal parts mutually interwoven; the secret technique of Polyphonic Singing
                                         Ikuko Suzuki (music producer; Meguro Ward resident)

Georgia is a country I had never heard of before. So after e-mail about the concert came from Ms. Hamada, a member of Meguro UNESCO Association, I browsed the Web for some basic information about the country. I found it is wedged between Turkey, Russia and the Black Sea. I had been in Salzburg, Austria to study ‘education on music and movement (dancing)’ till last summer. A Turkish classmate had brought an instrument from his homeland and often played for the other students. The instrument was a sort of drum, 80 cm in diameter, suspended from his shoulder and hit by a thin drumstick held in each hand. The performance of this instrument is always accompanied by dance; men play the instrument and women dance. He showed us how to dance, which was great fun. The memory of our dancing together came back while listening to this concert. Polyphony is two or more vocal parts, each with its own individual melodic importance. So there exists no clear distinction between which part is the main melody and which part is the accompaniment. This technique is not restricted to European folk music; it can be found in folk music all over the world. For instance, Jongarubushi in Japan has the same feature.

What made the audience feel uplifted? Was it because of the interwoven sounds of all the vocal parts? It is a mysterious art.

I appreciated the depth of consciousness the Ensemble Mtskheta had in terms of music. I wanted an encore and left the concert with a hunger for more. I found myself looking for a further opportunity to watch and listen to it again.

My impression of the Ensemble Mtskheta                                   Shiori Tagawa (a member of Meguro UNESCO Association)

Such a rich voice and solemn harmony a long tradition produces! It was not long before I was touched by the attractive sounds of the ensemble. I suppose that most Japanese rarely hear of Georgia, and even those who do, their knowledge of the country is very limited. Maybe we know it is near the Black Sea and know of its special yoghurt, but that is about all. Very few Japanese people can imagine how this small country, far from Japan, has experienced a complicated history chiefly because of its location, and yet kept a unique and profound tradition developed by the mixture of western and eastern cultures. I was one such person

Polyphony is not only Georgian; it can be found in many places in the world. However, the perfectly formed and beautiful sounds of the ensemble made me understand the country’s dignity cultivated through its long history, people’s love for their country and the pride of their cultural tradition.

Nowadays, new things are being produced one after another and appreciated around the world, including of course, Japan. However, I think it would be nice if people could evaluate other cultures and traditions that have passed through the generations. The concert was arranged very quickly, but more than hundred people gathered there. The performance was short, but I and the other concert goers were absolutely thrilled and deeply impressed by the wonderful encounter with their culture.

After the concert