The new ECM disc of the great Georgian composer Giya Kancheli - the label's tenth - comprises two choral works. Little Imber is a "site-specific" work, profoundly melancholic yet with a hint of irony, directly inspired by the English village of Imber in the middle of Salisbury Plain, a ghost town since it was evacuated and turned over to the US army for military manoeuvres in 1943. The Ministry of Defence then took over the site and the former residents are only allowed to return once a year for a special service in the 14th century Church of St Giles. Over the August bank holiday in 2003, this lost village came back to life when Kancheli's work was premiered by Georgian and English musicians, among them the Matrix Ensemble, the famous Rustavi Choir (Georgia's leading male voice choir) and a solitary chorister from Salisbury Cathedral. That moving performance is the one on this world premiere recording. The whole Imber project was captured in a film by acclaimed director Mark Kidel, subsequently shown on both BBC2 and BBC4, which looked back at the village's unusual history, combining testimonies from surviving villagers, conversations with Kancheli in his native Tbilisi and footage of the live performance of Kancheli's evocative music.
'Little Imber' is coupled here with another recent work Amao Omi ("senseless war") whose phonetic text, sung by the Netherlands Chamber Choir, adds up to moving sound tapestry, underpinned by the subtle and supple playing of the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet.
Giya Kancheli is Georgia's most distinguished living composer. A leading figure in contemporary music, his scores are profoundly spiritual, filled with haunting textures, deep contrasts and shattering climaxes. His collaborators include the Hilliard Ensemble and Jan Garbarek, Gidon Kremer, Kim Kashkashian, Mstislav Rostropovich and Dennis Russell Davies, all of whom have appeared on his ECM recordings.
Personnel:
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Rashèr Saxophone Quartet, Klaas Stok - (conductor), Nika Memanishvili - (conductor, keyboard), Mamuka Gaganidze - (voice), Zaza Miminoshvili - (guitar), Matrix Ensemble, Rustavi Choir, Children's Choir