Taktakishvili, Otar

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Taktakishvili, Otar

Taktakishvili, Otar (Vasilievich), Russian composer and teacher; b. Tiflis, July 27, 1924; d. there (Tbilisi), Feb. 22, 1989. He studied at the Tbilisi Cons., graduating in 1947. He then was on its faculty as a teacher of choral literature (from 1947) and of counterpoint and instrumentation (from 1959), serving as its rector (1962-65); was a prof, (from 1966). In 1974 he was made a People’s Artist of the U.S.S.R. In 1982 he was awarded the Lenin Prize. His music is imbued with the characteristic melorhythms of the Caucasus; he had a natural knack for instrumental color.

Works

dramatic: Opera: Mindia (Tbilisi, July 23, 1961); Sami novela (3 Stories; 1967); Chikor (1972); Mtvaris Motatseba (The Abduction of the Moon; 1976). F i 1 m : Various works. ORCH.: Cello Concerto (1947); 2 syms. (1949, 1953); 3 overtures (1950, 1951, 1955); 2 symphonic poems: Samgori (1950) and Mtsyri (1956); 2 piano concertos: No. 1 (Tbilisi, Nov. 15, 1951) and No. 2 (1973); Trumpet Concerto (1954); Humor-esque for Chamber Orch. (1963). OTHER: Oratorios; cantatas; choruses; songs; piano pieces.

Bibliography

L. Polyakova, O. T. (Moscow, 1956); L.V. Polyakova, O. T (Moscow, 1979).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire