The Voice of the Viola in the Music of Giya Kancheli

Abstract

Giya Kancheli is a Georgian composer whose creative journey has encompassed a variety of genres including film scores, symphonies, concertos, and theater music. While his early works were under the influence of various musical styles and genres including early Baroque and jazz, his latest compositions have undergone significant progress, leading to a highly individual creative style. Departing from traditionalist elements, the recent compositions of Kancheli are unorthodox in the treatments of form and harmony. The expressive gestures in combination with explosive eruptions of individuality in his music create an undercurrent of looming calamity. This monograph analyses the reasons Kancheli chose to use the viola as a solo instrument in the four works written thus far, Vom Winde beweint, Abii ne viderem, Caris Mere, and Styx. Aside from providing an assessment of the musical content, each chapter investigates the compositional process involved as well as the particular circumstances surrounding each composition that led the composer to select the viola as a solo instrument.