Giorgi Latsabidze
Encyclopedia
Giorgi Latsabidze ɡiɔrɡi lɑtsɑbidzɛ; (born 15 April 1978) is an international prize-winning Georgian
concert pianist and composer. Latsabidze is one of the youngest pianists who has performed and recorded live 24 of the Chopin Etudes
and the 24 Preludes as well as all 12 of the Transcendental Etudes
of Franz Liszt
and 12 Préludes
(Book 2) of Claude Debussy
.
(Georgia), grew up in a non-musical family, however he started playing the keyboard at the age of three. At 5 he began composing on the piano, and was giving concerts with an orchestra at the age of 10.
A Georgian Presidential scholarship underwrote Latsabidze’s early education at the Tbilisi State Conservatory
in 1996-2001; then he went on to obtain master's and artist's degrees at Musikhochschule Hannover in Germany; at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
, Austria and Doctor of Musical Arts
degree at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California
. His teachers included Rusudan Chodzava, Lazar Berman
and Stewart L. Gordon
.
Latsabidze has appeared at most of the major festival venues in Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, Mannheim, Florence, Lisbon, Beijing, Honolulu, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Festival and Monte-Carlo Piano Masters, among others, and has performed as a recitalist throughout the world. His repertoire encompasses all stylistic epochs - his particular preference being the music of the 19th century.
His performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto at WUK Kulturhaus was described in the Austrian press as, “…a technically brilliant pianist imbued with a poignant lyricism and genuine profundity. ” England Rhinegold Classical Magazine called his recording of Debussy's Préludes
, “...extraordinary imagination and a musical tone rarely heard. ”
As a composer, Latsabidze scored the film Waltz-Fantasy and won an award for the score at the Bologna Film Festival in Italy (2000). His more current compositions include Variations on the Theme of J. S. Bach and Cyber Moment for violin and piano.
Latsabidze recorded 24 Chopin Etudes
; as well as 24 Chopin Preludes, Op.28; J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations
, BWV 988; 12 Transcendental Etudes
of Franz Liszt
; 12 preludes by Debussy's Book 2, among others. He has a partnership with the Polish violinist Irmina Trynkos, and has also worked with other musicians including Ernest Fleischmann
, Gianluigi Gelmetti
, Jansug Kakhidze
, Friedrich Kleinhapl, Ivo Pogorelić
, Yundi Li, Freddy Kempf
, Joaquín Soriano
, David L. Wen, etc.
In 2010, Latsabidze served as chairman for the International Piano Performance Examination Committee in Taiwan
, (Republic of China). Also in 2010, he had his Wigmore Hall
debut in London, where he world premiered his new composition, entitled Cyber Moment which was written for violin and piano, and commissioned especially for the occasion.
In June 2011 Latsabidze gave a benefit concert held in Triesner Guido-Feger Concert Hall under the patronage of her Serene Highness Princess Marie Aglaë from Liechtenstein. This event was featuring cycle of 24 Preludes by F. Chopin, Op. 28 and R. Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Volksblatt Press wrote: “Within the romantic repertoire you can with full justification call him a magnificent pianist and a magician of impeccable technique”
Performances of his have been broadcast on radio and television in the USA, Europe, Asia and other countries.
Latsabidze was listed in the 65th edition of Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in American Art
2011.
. Judging by the records, it was Rachmaninoff, Sofronitsky, and Lipatti. As to esthetics, I feel most close to Vladimir Horowitz
".
Federation Competition in Salzburg, (Austria) and at the Young Artist International Piano Competition in Los Angeles (2006).
He received the Vladimir Spivakov
Award (Moscow virtuosi) in 2001, the Georgian Presidential Prize in 1999, the Marion Gräfin Dönhoff Trust Award in 2002, DAAD
the German Academic Exchange Award
in 2004, the MTNA Academic Achievement Recognition of Excellence Award in 2004, the USC
Keyboard Studies Department Award in 2007 and 2011, the American philanthropist Carol Hogel
Music Scholarship in 2008, HSH Princess Marie of Liechtenstein
Award in 2009, among others.
, Azusa Pacific University
, and is currently piano Professor at Glendale Community College
.
, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann
, Liszt
, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Schönberg
. His own recordings include:
Performances are available via social networking sites of Giorgi's interpretation of Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 Chopin’s 24 preludes, Op.28 F. Liszt’s – 12 Transcendental Etudes Bizet-Horowitz – Carmen Fantasie (White House Edition), Claude Debussy’s – Préludes (Book II), Sousa-Horowitz-Latsabidze – Stars and Stripes Forever.
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
concert pianist and composer. Latsabidze is one of the youngest pianists who has performed and recorded live 24 of the Chopin Etudes
Études (Chopin)
The Études by Frédéric Chopin are three sets of solo studies for the piano, There are twenty-seven overall, comprising two separate collections of twelve, numbered Opus 10 and 25, and a set of three without opus number.-Composition:...
and the 24 Preludes as well as all 12 of the Transcendental Etudes
Transcendental Etudes
The Transcendental Etudes , S.139, are a series of twelve compositions for solo piano by Franz Liszt. They were published in 1852 as a revision of a more technically difficult 1837 series, which in turn were the elaboration of a set of studies written in 1826:...
of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
and 12 Préludes
Preludes (Debussy)
Claude Debussy's Préludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano. They are divided into two separate livres, or books, of twelve preludes each. Unlike previous collections of preludes, like those of JS Bach and Chopin, Debussy's do not follow a strict pattern of key signatures.Each book was written...
(Book 2) of Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
.
Biography
Giorgi Latsabidze, born in TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
(Georgia), grew up in a non-musical family, however he started playing the keyboard at the age of three. At 5 he began composing on the piano, and was giving concerts with an orchestra at the age of 10.
A Georgian Presidential scholarship underwrote Latsabidze’s early education at the Tbilisi State Conservatory
Tbilisi State Conservatory
Tbilisi State Conservatoire is the State Conservatoire of Georgia, located in the capital Tbilisi.-History:The Tbilisi Conservatoire was founded on 1 May 1917. It was formally recognised by the Russian Musical Society as a conservatoire later that year. A rival conservatoire was also founded in...
in 1996-2001; then he went on to obtain master's and artist's degrees at Musikhochschule Hannover in Germany; at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria and Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
degree at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. His teachers included Rusudan Chodzava, Lazar Berman
Lazar Berman
Lazar Naumovich Berman was a Soviet Russian classical pianist. As a technician, Berman was extraordinary in terms of sheer evenness, control, and rhythmic panache, yet he always channeled his considerable craft toward musical ends....
and Stewart L. Gordon
Stewart L. Gordon
Stewart Lynell Gordon is an American musician, teacher, writer, editor, composer, and impresario.Currently Stewart Gordon is Professor of Keyboard Studies at the USC Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California....
.
Latsabidze has appeared at most of the major festival venues in Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, Mannheim, Florence, Lisbon, Beijing, Honolulu, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Festival and Monte-Carlo Piano Masters, among others, and has performed as a recitalist throughout the world. His repertoire encompasses all stylistic epochs - his particular preference being the music of the 19th century.
His performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto at WUK Kulturhaus was described in the Austrian press as, “…a technically brilliant pianist imbued with a poignant lyricism and genuine profundity. ” England Rhinegold Classical Magazine called his recording of Debussy's Préludes
Preludes (Debussy)
Claude Debussy's Préludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano. They are divided into two separate livres, or books, of twelve preludes each. Unlike previous collections of preludes, like those of JS Bach and Chopin, Debussy's do not follow a strict pattern of key signatures.Each book was written...
, “...extraordinary imagination and a musical tone rarely heard. ”
As a composer, Latsabidze scored the film Waltz-Fantasy and won an award for the score at the Bologna Film Festival in Italy (2000). His more current compositions include Variations on the Theme of J. S. Bach and Cyber Moment for violin and piano.
Latsabidze recorded 24 Chopin Etudes
Études (Chopin)
The Études by Frédéric Chopin are three sets of solo studies for the piano, There are twenty-seven overall, comprising two separate collections of twelve, numbered Opus 10 and 25, and a set of three without opus number.-Composition:...
; as well as 24 Chopin Preludes, Op.28; J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Goldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
, BWV 988; 12 Transcendental Etudes
Transcendental Etudes
The Transcendental Etudes , S.139, are a series of twelve compositions for solo piano by Franz Liszt. They were published in 1852 as a revision of a more technically difficult 1837 series, which in turn were the elaboration of a set of studies written in 1826:...
of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
; 12 preludes by Debussy's Book 2, among others. He has a partnership with the Polish violinist Irmina Trynkos, and has also worked with other musicians including Ernest Fleischmann
Ernest Fleischmann
Ernest Martin Fleischmann was a German-born American impresario who served for 30 years as executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which he upgraded to become a top-ranked orchestra...
, Gianluigi Gelmetti
Gianluigi Gelmetti
Gianluigi Gelmetti is an Italian conductor and composer.He studied conducting with Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Hans Swarowsky. He first conducted an orchestra in Siena at age 16....
, Jansug Kakhidze
Jansug Kakhidze
Jansug Kakhidze was a Georgian conductor, nicknamed "the Georgian Karajan". Kakhidze was music director of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra for two decades beginning in 1973.-Musical career:...
, Friedrich Kleinhapl, Ivo Pogorelić
Ivo Pogorelic
Ivo Pogorelić is a Croatian pianist.-Early life:He was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, now Serbia, to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother...
, Yundi Li, Freddy Kempf
Freddy Kempf
Freddy Kempf is a British pianist born in Croydon to a German father and a Japanese mother. He now lives in Berlin.-Early career:He was educated at St Edmund's School, Canterbury and the Royal Academy of Music...
, Joaquín Soriano
Joaquín Soriano
Joaquín Soriano is a Spanish pianist.Trained in Valencia, he was a disciple of Vlado Perlemuter at the Conservatoire National de Paris...
, David L. Wen, etc.
In 2010, Latsabidze served as chairman for the International Piano Performance Examination Committee in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, (Republic of China). Also in 2010, he had his Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
debut in London, where he world premiered his new composition, entitled Cyber Moment which was written for violin and piano, and commissioned especially for the occasion.
In June 2011 Latsabidze gave a benefit concert held in Triesner Guido-Feger Concert Hall under the patronage of her Serene Highness Princess Marie Aglaë from Liechtenstein. This event was featuring cycle of 24 Preludes by F. Chopin, Op. 28 and R. Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Volksblatt Press wrote: “Within the romantic repertoire you can with full justification call him a magnificent pianist and a magician of impeccable technique”
Performances of his have been broadcast on radio and television in the USA, Europe, Asia and other countries.
Latsabidze was listed in the 65th edition of Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in American Art
Who's Who in American Art
Who's Who in American Art is a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, published by Marquis Who's Who, formerly by R.R. Bowker Publishing. The directory has also listed some individuals from Canada and Mexico, plus some American...
2011.
Influences
Latsabidze has mentioned the following pianists as having inspired him: "Of those whom I heard on the stage I'd like to name first of all Maria João PiresMaria João Pires
-Musical studies:Her first recital was at the age of five, and at the age of seven she was already playing Mozart Piano Concertos publicly. Two years later she received Portugal's top prize for young musicians. In the following years, she studied with Professor Campos Coelho at the Lisbon...
. Judging by the records, it was Rachmaninoff, Sofronitsky, and Lipatti. As to esthetics, I feel most close to Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
".
Awards
Latsabidze won the first-prize in the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition in France,(1999) and a third prize from Ennio Porrino International Competition in Italy (1998). He has also won prizes in the Yehudi MenuhinYehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
Federation Competition in Salzburg, (Austria) and at the Young Artist International Piano Competition in Los Angeles (2006).
He received the Vladimir Spivakov
Vladimir Spivakov
Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov is a leading Russian conductor and violinist best known for his work with the chamber orchestra....
Award (Moscow virtuosi) in 2001, the Georgian Presidential Prize in 1999, the Marion Gräfin Dönhoff Trust Award in 2002, DAAD
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
the German Academic Exchange Award
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
in 2004, the MTNA Academic Achievement Recognition of Excellence Award in 2004, the USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Keyboard Studies Department Award in 2007 and 2011, the American philanthropist Carol Hogel
Carol Hogel
Carol Colburn Høgel is an American philanthropist who has donated more than $40 million to the arts in Britain. Carol Høgel was raised in Chicago. Her father, a music-loving businessman and donated generously to the arts. Her family founded the Dunard Fund, and she was appointed CBE for her support...
Music Scholarship in 2008, HSH Princess Marie of Liechtenstein
Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein
Marie Aglaë, Princess of Liechtenstein is the wife and cousin of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein...
Award in 2009, among others.
Teaching career
Dr. Latsabidze has presented master classes and concert performances throughout Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and United States. His musical career includes being a concert pianist and collaborative artist, a professor and an international juror. In 2007-2010 served as President to the USC Chapter of the MTNA at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. He has taught at the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
, and is currently piano Professor at Glendale Community College
Glendale Community College
Glendale Community College can refer to one of two colleges in the United States.* Glendale Community College * Glendale Community College...
.
Recordings
Latsabidze has participated in numerous recordings and TV productions, including DVDs and CDs of compositions by BachBạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, Liszt
Liszt
Liszt is a Hungarian surname. Notable persons with that surname include:* Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and pianist* Adam Liszt , father of Franz Liszt* Anna Liszt , mother of Franz Liszt...
, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Schönberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
. His own recordings include:
- 2011: DVD: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21in C major, K. 467. Taiwan Production
- 2011: CD/DVD: Frédéric Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op.28; Robert Schumann: KreislerianaKreislerianaKreisleriana, Op. 16, is a composition in eight movements by Robert Schumann for solo piano, subtitled , written in April 1838. Dedicated to Frédéric Chopin, it is a very dramatic work and is considered to be one of Schumann's finest compositions....
, Op.16. Goyette Records Co. - 2011: CD: Giorgi Latsabidze: The Composer & Transcriber. Rhapsody Library Records
- 2010: DVD: The IG-Duo performs works by Szymanowski, Brahms, Bizet-Waxman, Latsabidze. Red Piranha Films. Wigmore HallWigmore HallWigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
, UK. - 2010: CD/DVD: Giorgi Latsabidze plays Claude DebussyClaude DebussyClaude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
; 12 Preludes (Book II). Charismartist Int. Rec. - 2009: CD: Schumann: Frauenliebe und -lebenFrauenliebe und -lebenFrauenliebe und -leben is a cycle of poems by Adelbert von Chamisso, written in 1830. They describe the course of a woman's love for her man, from her point of view, from first meeting through marriage to his death, and after. Selections were set to music as a song-cycle by masters of German Lied,...
; Debussy: Ariettes oubliéesAriettes oubliéesAriettes oubliées is a song cycle for voice and piano, L. 60 by Claude Achille Debussy , based on a poem written by Paul Verlaine in 1885–1887. The poetry of Paul Verlaine had a more profound influence on Claude Debussy's music than did Debussy's closest literary or musical acquaintances...
. IG Initiatives LLC - 2009: CD/DVD: Latsabidze: The Recital; Onward Entertainment, Los Angeles.
- 2008: CD: Johannes Brahms: The Piano Quintet in F minor, Op.34Piano Quintet (Brahms)The Piano Quintet in F minor, opus 34, by Johannes Brahms was completed during the summer of 1864. It was dedicated to Her Royal Highness the Princess Anne of Hesse...
. Hurb Production Studio. - 2006: DVD: Original music score composed by Latsabidze for the film Twilight's Grace, Los Angeles.
- 2005: DVD: Auf den Spuren von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; DVD documentary on Latsabidze in Salzburg, K-TV Austria.
Performances are available via social networking sites of Giorgi's interpretation of Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 Chopin’s 24 preludes, Op.28 F. Liszt’s – 12 Transcendental Etudes Bizet-Horowitz – Carmen Fantasie (White House Edition), Claude Debussy’s – Préludes (Book II), Sousa-Horowitz-Latsabidze – Stars and Stripes Forever.