Giya Aleksandrovich Kancheli was born on August 10, 1935, in Tiflis (now Tbilisi) into a family of a doctor. His journey into music began at a music school, but his first attempt to enter the music school was unsuccessful. Despite this, his passion for music did not fade, and Kancheli continued on his path to professional art.
In 1959, he graduated from the geology department of Tbilisi State University, and in 1963, he completed his studies at the Tbilisi State Conservatory named after Vano Sarajishvili in the composition class under Iona Tuskia. Even during his student years, his music became a subject of active discussions in professional circles.
From 1970 to 1977, Giya Kancheli taught at the Tbilisi Conservatory, where he led the orchestration class. In parallel with his teaching activities, he worked actively in the theater: from 1971 to 1990, he held the position of head of the musical department at the Shota Rustaveli Georgian State Academic Theater. In 1986, he became the secretary of the board of the Union of Composers of the USSR.
Kancheli’s creative legacy includes seven symphonies written between 1967 and 1986, the opera Music for the Living, the musical comedy The Pranks of Hanuma, and many other works. A special place in his work is occupied by film music — he created soundtracks for more than 60 films. Among the most famous works are the music for Georgiy Danelia’s films Mimino and Kin-dza-dza!.
In 1991, Kancheli received a scholarship from the German Academy of Arts and moved to Berlin. From 1995, he primarily lived and worked in Antwerp, where he was invited by the Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra. His music was distinguished by a special sense of time, “sparseness” of sound space, and the predominance of consonant sounds. It organically intertwined elements of Georgian folklore, sacred music, and jazz.
For his merits, Giya Kancheli was awarded numerous awards and titles. In 1976, he became a laureate of the USSR State Prize, in 1981 he received the Shota Rustaveli State Prize of the Georgian SSR, and in 1988 he was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. His work was also honored with the Nika Award for the music of Kin-dza-dza! and the Wolf Prize in the field of arts.
The composer was married to Valentina Djikia, and they had a son and a daughter. Giya Kancheli passed away on October 2, 2019, in Tbilisi, leaving behind a rich musical legacy that continues to inspire musicians and listeners around the world.
