On 19 and 20 September, Giorgi Zagareli and Zagareli & Strings will take the stage at Fabrika’s Jungle Room with a newly refreshed programme.
Nearly a decade after it began, the project returns with a new line-up. New songs and compositions bring different musical worlds together in one space-from Kancheli to Kordz, Nikakoi to Sakamoto, and Maxime Machaidze to Nini Nutsubidze.
“We have already performed several concerts with this project during the current season, but I wanted to refresh the programme,” says Giorgi Zagareli. “The concert will feature new songs with Maxime Machaidze and Nini Nutsubidze, a new piece created by Nika Machaidze especially for this performance, as well as classical works that are new to us.”
Why this music, and why now?
For Zagareli, the story began much earlier, with a shoot near Uplistsikhe. “That shoot marked the beginning of the concert’s story. The final step in this long preparation process will be the first note heard in the Jungle Room.”
“I didn’t think in terms of genres. I chose the music and artists that I find interesting and inspiring today,” Zagareli explains. For him, they share three defining qualities: individuality, sincerity and a powerful emotional world.
That is the central idea behind Zagareli & Strings: a meeting of different eras, genres and musical languages. Each moves beyond its own boundaries, while the string ensemble creates a shared sound that unites them within a single musical world.
“The audience stops thinking about genre and simply follows the music.”
“Zagareli & Strings is not ‘me with a string ensemble’; it is one living organism,” Giorgi says. A new chapter for that organism will begin in the Jungle Room. Zagareli has long been drawn to the venue, and the choice was no coincidence. He compares Fabrika to a musical composition: “Its cafés, bars, people and sounds may seem like separate elements, but together they form one large composition.”
This time, another compelling contrast will be added to that composition. The performance inside the Jungle Room will have a more classical character, while the everyday noise and energy of Fabrika’s courtyard will filter in from outside.
“If the sounds from the courtyard and bars reach our concert, I think they will make the performance even more distinctive and interesting.”
After the concert, the evening will shift once again as the musicians move to Fabrika’s rooftop, where the afterparty will continue in a freer, more electronic mood.
Behind the Scenes of the Project
“For me, a concert is not only the music performed on stage. It is made up of many elements: the poster, photography, social media, videos, copy, the ticketing page, lighting, spatial design and countless other details. Behind all of this are people the audience may never see on stage, yet they are every bit as important to the concert as the musicians themselves.
“Special thanks go to the exceptionally talented photographer Masu Mtsariashvili, and to Irakli Rusadze of Situationist, who provided several looks from his collection for the shoot.
“Sound engineer Lasha Natenadze, with whom we have been working closely in recent months, is another key member of the project, as is Tamuna Karumadze, who is taking on the visual direction of Zagareli & Strings.
“I would also like to express my special thanks to our supporter, Concierge Tbilisi. Their support goes far beyond financial assistance: they also stand beside us through communications and genuine encouragement. Working with them is easy and comfortable, which is especially valuable for a musician. Concierge Tbilisi is also contributing its own ideas and vision to the concert, and I hope the audience will feel the result of our collaboration.”
Asked to describe the concert in just one word, Zagareli’s answer is simple: “Freedom.”
Perhaps that is also the most fitting description of this new chapter for Zagareli & Strings.
On 19 and 20 September, audiences will have the opportunity to experience these distinctive musical evenings and hear music that knows no boundaries.
Tickets are available at: https://tkt.ge/show/35024/zagareli-strings-at-fabrika
By Ani Chumburidze
