Shota Milorava

(1925 – 1990)

SELECTED WORKS

MUSIC FOR THE THEATER

AUTHOR OF ABOUT 30 OPERETTAS. Including:

1951 – “Once Upon A Time In Spring” – A Musical Comedy in 3 Acts

1952 – “Bridesmaids” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1953 – “Their Dream” – Musical Comedy in 3 Acts

1955 – “Dali” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1958 – “Song About Tbilisi” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1958 – “Taming The Obstinate Husband” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1959 – “Strange Guests” – Musical Comedy in 3 Acts

1960 – “Only You Alone” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1961 – “Servant Of Three Masters” – Operetta in 3 Acts

1962 – “Brazilian Treasures” – Children’s Operetta in 2 Acts

1964 – “Our Joy” – Operetta In 3 Acts

1968 – “Wedding On The Bank Of Tekhura” – Folk Operetta in 3 Acts

1975 – “Date In The Sky” – Pathetic Comedy in 2 Act

1976 – “Chanchura” – Operetta in 2 Acts

1979 – “Sataguri” – Children’s Musical Comedy in 2 Acts

1981 – “The Miser” – A Musical Comedy in 2 Acts

1981 – “Marshall De Fantier’s Diamonds” – Musical Comedy in 2 Acts

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

1946 – “Eliso” – Symphonic Poem

1949 – “Celebratory Overture” – for Symphony Orchestra

CHAMBER-INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

1951 – Musical Moment – for Piano

1951 – Two Miniatures for Piano

1951 – “Melody” – for Cello and Piano

1964 – 3 Children’s Pieces for Piano

1975 – “Melody” – for Clarinet and Piano

1976 – Three Pieces – for 3 Trombones

1982 – 7 Children’s Pieces for Piano

1983 – Children’s Play for String Quartet

VOCAL-INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

a CAPPELLA

1952 – “Happy Generation” – for Children’s Choir a Cappella – (text – M. Gogiashvili)

1964 – “Song about Georgia” – for Men’s Choir a Cappella – (text – I. Noneshvili)

1968 – “Winter” – for Women’s Choir a Cappella – (text – G. Dzneladze)

1968 – “The Way of Immortality” – for Four-Voice Choir a Cappella – (text – M. Potskhishvili)

1975 – “Mravaljamier” – for Mixed Choir a Cappella – (text –.Tabidze)

1981 – “Joke” – for Mixed Choir A Cappella – (text – Folk)

1983 – “Song about Tbilisi” – for Men’s Choir a Cappella – (text – I. Abashidze)

1983 – “My Beautiful Tbilisi” – for Men’s Choir a Cappella – (text – I. Noneshvili)

Accompanied By Teams

1956 – “Autumn in Tbilisi” – for Three-Voice Choir and Pandoor – (text – I.

Noneshvili)

1956 – “Lyrical Waltz” – for Mixed Choir and Piano – (text – P. Gruzinski)

1961 – “Cantata about Georgia” – for Soloist, Choir and Piano – (text – L. Chubabria)

1966 – “Song about Shota Rustaveli” – for Choir and Piano – (text – O. Shalamberidze)

1970 – “Song about Georgia” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – M. Potshishvili)

1970 – “City of Flowers” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – N. Berianidze)

1973 – “Song on Tekhur” – for Three-Part Choir and Piano – (text – A.

Abshilava)

1974 – “Mravalzhamier” – for Three-Part Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – M. Potshishvili)

1974 – “Young Passenger” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – M. Potshishvili)

1977 – “New Year” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – M. Potshishvili)

1981 – “Celebration” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – A. Shanidze)

1982 – “Youth Waltz” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – V. Gogolashvili, N. Khuntsiria)

1983 – “Good Morning!” – for Children’s Choir and Piano – (text – M. Potshishvili)

ROMANCES

1948 – “Beautiful Girl” – (text – A. Kazbegi)

1948 – “Song” – (text – G. Kuchishvili)

1949 – “I Loved You” – (text – A. Pushkin)

1948 – “Beautiful Girl” – (text – A. Kazbegi)

1968 – “Swallows of My Country” – (text – L. Chubabria)

1978 – “Song about the Motherland” – (text – S. Diasamidze)

1979 – “Morning of Tbilisi” – (text – Sh. Amiranashvili)

POPULAR SONGS

1957 – “The Seagull” – (text – P. Gruzinski)

1959 – “How Beautiful You Are” – (text – P. Gruzinsky)

1957 – “Magician” – (text – P. Gruzinski)

1970 – “Whoever Makes This Girl Laugh” – (text – M. Potshishvili)

1957 – “Spring Song” – (text – D. Gvishiani)

FILM AND THEATER MUSIC

MUSIC FOR THE THEATER – AUTHOR OF MUSIC FOR MORE THAN 20 PLAYS. BETWEEN THEM:

“Little Kakh”, “Marshall de Fantier’s Diamonds”, “Elisse”

FILMOGRAPHY

1968 – “Tariel Golua” – director – Levan Khotivari

1976 – “Flute” – director – Giorgi Dadiani

ANIMATION

1978 – “The Tale of Bacho and His Mother” – director – Carlo Sulakauri

1979 – “Bacho Goes to Grandma” – director – Carlo Sulakauri

1981 – “Bear Bear Butkhuzi” (“The most delicious”) – director – Carlo Sulakauri

1984 – “A Tale on Wheels” – director – Carlo Sulakauri

1984 – “Dog, Hedgehog and Niko” – director – Carlo Sulakauri

1984 – “Hedgehog, Dog and Niko” – director – – Carlo Sulakauri

Shota Milorava

(1925 – 1990)

During his lifetime, Shota Milorava achieved popularity and public admiration. His music sounded on the Georgian stage, and his songs were in the repertoires of nearly all major vocalists and theatrical ensembles. Musical groups from all around Georgia performed his chorals.

Shota Milorava is a professional musician who grew up in the heart of folk music. “He belongs to the category of talented folk musicians, whose efforts have been developing our richest and most accurate folk music for generations,” noted musicologist Gulbat Toradze.

He gained significant training in the Lutenist ensemble, which was conducted by Alexandra Potskhverashvili. His mother, Nina Milorava, participated in this ensemble, therefore he grew up in a folkloric atmosphere and learnt to play the lute and panduri (three stringed lute). Later, he moved to Georgia’s State Chapel, where he performed as pianist-concertmaster and teacher- choirmaster. His passion for folk music was especially noticeable in his choral pieces.

Shota Milorava’s talent, professionalism, and refined taste first revealed in the 1950s, when his chamber compositions were performed: piano miniatures (1951), full of poetry and expressiveness, as well as a melody for cello and piano (1951). The following pieces were notable examples of Georgian instrumental music created in the 1970s: Clarinet and piano melody (1974), two pieces written for three trombones (1976). These compositions won awards in Georgian composers’ republican competitions. His symphonic creations were very well appreciated at tha time: “Eliso” (1946), “ Overture of Glory” (1950).

Shota Milorava’s varied activity: folk music, different genres of academic music, pop art became the necessary step to his main field of creativity – performing art.

Shota Milorava is classic of musical comedy, operetta. He played a big role in the creation of the Georgian operetta. According to musicologist Anton Tsulukidze, “Classical operetta forms are assimilated on Georgian soil in the works of Shota Milorava.” Shota Milorava created approximately 30 samples of the above-mentioned genre. That is why he was known as “Georgian Kalman.”

The operetta “Bridegrooms” (1952), based on a libretto by Petre gruzinski, was the first to achieve success. He had a particularly good collaboration with writer Levan Chubabria. Their work, the operetta “Song of Tbilisi” (1958), dedicated to Tbilisi’s 1500th anniversary, was a highly successful and had a significant place in the repertory of the Tbilisi Muscomedy Theater for ten years. Apart from the democracy language, melodiousness, and intimacy, another quality that caused the success of the mentioned operettas was naturalism. In these works, in addition to describing positive moments in life, there was also an expose of the vicious sides, which was presented with great humor.

The Tbilisi Muscomedia Theater was prospering in the 1950s and 1980s, and people from all over Georgia came to visit it. One of the reasons for that was Shota Milorava’s works. “Seagull,” “I Lost You in the Flowers,” ” That Garden,” “Chiora,” “Come Soon,” “Shemirigidi,” “Chemi Chitunya,” and other songs by Shota Milorava became popular.

Pop orchestra “Rero,” vocal-instrumental ensembles “Orera,” “Dielo,” “Tsitsinatela,” “Kolkheti,” and   others   performed   his   compositions.   Milorava’s   songs   were   in   Lili   Gegelia, Marekh Godziashvili, Giuli Chokheli, Nani Bregvadze, Nazi Dumbadze, Nanuli Abesadze, and others repertoire . His songs are now sung by a new generation of artists with various interpretations.

Foreign visitors to Georgia often say goodbye to their hosts with Shota Milorava’s song: “There is such a country, called Georgia!”

Musicologist
Tamar Tsulukidze
English Language Translator
Tamar Kharadze