Twilight

Twilight was the first work he wrote in 2004 for two violins and a small orchestra with a synthesizer. Alternatively it can also be performed by viola and violin. Undoubtedly, the inspiration came from the violinist Gidon Kremer, an important figure in the music circle around the Georgian composer. As a soloist and conductor together with the violinist Thomas Zehetmair and the ensemble Kremerata Baltika, they made the world premiere of "Twilight" on January 27, 2005. Exactly on the birthday of W. A. Mozart - the work was commissioned by the International Mozarteum Foundation. The author dedicates this play to Julia and Sergei Mironov. It was released in 2015 by the record company ECM New Series, collaborating with the Georgian composer since 1992 at the invitation of its creator and producer Manfred Eicher. This studio recording was made by the violinists Gidon Kremer and Patricia Kopatchinskaja together with Kremerata Baltica. Here is what Giya Kancheli said about his work: "Whenever I look out from my desk in Antwerp, where I have now been living and working for the past ten years, I see several unusually beautiful poplars, as high as towers. Their appearance changes according to the season. Towards the end of summer they are covered with a thick, green “carpet.” The first openings of light appear towards the end of autumn, their sudden colourful magnificence notwithstanding. These gaps become broader with the approaching winter; viewed through the bare branches, a perspective begins to reveal itself, losing itself in infinity. Since I have just survived a serious illness, such wonders of nature bring to mind comparisons with human life. We normally pay little or no attention to our health problems. But then, one day, we are visited by a serious danger. Our life literally hangs by a thread and our continued survival is made possible only when different circumstances come together – even though this is only temporary, compared to my poplars. These thoughts were in my mind whilst composing the work commissioned by Salzburg, which I then, not without reason, entitled “Twilight.”