on my mind
Georgia’s Nino Katamadze at MKhAT.
TEXT FRANCIS MERSON feedback
Nino Katamadze, by her own account, sings emotions rather than notes. This Georgian singer is known for her unique, mesmerizing voice, with which she can plunge the depths of human passion without uttering a single intelligible word. Improvisation has a large part to play in Katamadze’s music. “We never begin a concert with the same theme,” says the singer. “The music comes out on stage and begins to play, then we join in.” This approach is founded on a remarkable synergy between the members of Nino’s band, “Insight,” which is composed of guitar, bass and drums. Katamadze is labeled a singer of “world music,” but there is nothing especially ethnic or folksy about her, apart from the fact she sings in Georgian. Then again, world music nowadays signifies nothing more than a vague musical “Other.” The two concerts on April 4 and 5 are landmarks in the career of the Georgian diva — finally her two albums “White” and “Black” will be given proper concert exposure. Insight will be joined by the Novaya Rossiya chamber orchestra. The concert at the Gorky MKhAT kicks off at 7 p.m., with tickets going from 800 to 3,500 rubles. |
