Extraordinary Exhibition on Independence Day
By Salome Modebadze
Friday, May 24
After a successful career of 20 years in Germany where the band promoted Georgian traditional motifs, The Shin is back with its new album Extraordinary Exhibition containing 11 new songs all recorded at Bravo Records Studio over the last month.
Zaza Miminoshvili, The Shin’s leader and singer, said this album is a series of musical portraits which “secretly” started in Germany, whilst playing to audiences there. He said he felt that he was already subconsciously introducing Georgian traditional music to the wider world. Beginning with the album, each new The Shin's album will have a particular great musician in mind. “We belong to a small number of nations who have living classical musicians and we first chose our great composer Gia Kancheli,“ Mininoshvili said, adding that this will be The Shin’s own interpretation of Gia Kancheli’s music.
The main thing is that there will be a very strange symbiosis on the stage uniting classic, jazz and ethnic, which Miminoshvili said has been The Shin’s dream for ages.
The project will move to the Tbilisi State Concert Hall with the support of the Tbilisi Center for Cultural Events, the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection and Bravo Records. Davit Doiashvili will be the director of the show, Vakhtang Kakhidze will conduct the Tbilisi Symphonic Orchestra, while the Tbilisi Conservatoire vocal quartet and the Nino Ananiashvili’s ballet troupe will also accompany The Shin’s music.
Spanish, Turkish and Latvian musicians will join their Georgian colleagues so that The Shin’s Extraordinary Exhibition will turn into an international event.
This concert will be the analogue to the Latvian project, which The Shin first performed at Congress Hall in Riga in December, 2012. President of Bravo Records, Zaza Shengelia recollected how he was impressed with the concert in Riga. However, he said the Georgian version will be more diverse as it will unite various musicians with The Shin.
Shengelia said it has been Bravo Records Studio’s first joint project with The Shin which may end with a signed contract with the band and grow into long-term cooperation.
Expressing his gratitude towards the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection and Tbilisi Centre of Cultural Events, Shengelia said without their support it would be impossible to carry out this project.
The Head of Tbilisi Centre of Cultural Events, Neka Sebiskveradze said everything has been done to ensure the concert reflects the Independence Day celebrations both “musically interesting and academic.”
“This is why we chose The Shin’s new project,” Sebiskveradze said referring to The Shin’s Extraordinary Exhibition which as she said is an unprecedented musical product for Georgia with very interesting musicians offering innovation in their field.
Beeline, Natakhtari, Caparol and Ardi Group are sponsors of the concert.
Public Relations Manager of Beeline, Teona Bahgdavadze emphasized the importance of cultural and social projects for Beeline, thus she said the company supports more and more projects from year to year. “The Shin’s tour to the regions is a glorious project for us because it offers tasteful modern music based on traditions which are accessible to wide audiences,” said Baghdavadze.
Marketing Director of Natakhtari, Tornike Nikolaishvili said it is a privilege for Natakhtari to present The Shin’s new album.
Even though The Shin’s concert will be attended by invited guests, the organizers promise that there will be concerts soon, which will be available to the public while The Shin’s album will be available for GEL 20 at various bookstores and cafes throughout the capital, Tbilisi.