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Legendary composer Giya Kancheli dies

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Legendary composer Giya Kancheli dies


02.10.2019

Internationally acclaimed Soviet Georgian composer Giya Kancheli has died at the age of 84.



Kancheli was widely recognized worldwide. He's most known to a wide Russian audience for writing soundtracks for Georgy Danelia's  Passport, Kin-Dza-Dza! and Mimino films. Apart of Russian and Georgian movies, he earned international recognition, and has been named among the world’s greatest movie composers, next to Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. 

Throughout his life, Kancheli has composed huge number of soundtracs for 50 films and theatre plays; he wrote 7 symphonies, more than 30 chamber music pieces and choral operas, many compositions for choir. He has written minimalistic music for piano as well, which is very well known among music lovers.

Giya Kancheli lived in Western Europe since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. When he moved to Antwerp, Kancheli became composer-in-residence for the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. At the end of his life he went to visit Tbilisi where he felt ill and died in the city hospital. 

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