Well-known Georgian composer Gia Kancheli passed away at the age of 84 in Tbilisi, his family members confirmed to the Georgian media.
Kancheli was born on August 10, 1935 in Tbilisi. He graduated from the Tbilisi State University in 1959, then continued studies at Tbilisi State Conservatoire. For two decades, he served as the music director of the Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi. He composed an opera Music for the Living, in collaboration with Rustaveli director Robert Sturua, and in December 1999, the opera was restaged for the Deutsches National Theater in Weimar.
Kancheli is worldwide known for his music for Georgian films and symphonies. He wrote music for films: 1974 — Night visit (with Revaz Lagidze), 1974 — Magic egg (Animated film), 1975 — Caucasian prisoner, 1975 — Caucasian romance, 1977 — Stepmother of Samanishvili (with Jansug Kakhidze), 1977 — Mimino, 1978 — Some interviews on personal matters, 1978 — Khanuma, 1978 — Caucasian Story, 1979 — Dumas in Caucasia, Mimino, Extraordinary Exhibition, etc.
Kancheli composed orchestral, chamber, choral/opera music. Early works include Concerto for Orchestra (1961), Woodwind Quintet (1961), Largo and Allegro (1963), Symphony No. 1 (1967).
