Kereselidze Archil

Archil (Tukha) Kereselidze (b. December 24, 1912, Ghunib, Dagestan – d. December 21, 1971, Tbilisi), composer and teacher, People's Artist of Georgia (1961), winner of the Z. Paliashvili Prize (1973, posthumously). In 1934, he graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatoire (piano and composition classes of A. Virsaladze, M. Bagrinovsky and S. Barkhudariani), in 1939 – the composition department of the Moscow Conservatory (classes of D. Kabalevsky and N. Myaskovsky). In 1940–1944, he was a teacher at the Tbilisi Conservatoire (polyphony), in 1940–1946 – Head of the musical department of the K. Marjanishvili Drama Theatre; in 1953–1971 – music editor of the Georgian Film Studio. Among his works are the opera Bashi-Achuki (1956; staged in Tbilisi and Kutaisi), the ballet Nazibrola (1947), musical comedies – Tbilisis Tsis Kvesh (Under the Tbilisi Sky) (1949), Mtvaridan Dabruneba (Return from the Moon) (1963), Alublis Kvaviloba (Cherry Blossom) (1965), etc.; Symphony (1940), 2 piano concertos (1941, 1949); music for the performances: Solomon Isakich Mejghanuashvili, Mepe Erekle (King Erekle), Dzveli Vodevilebi (Old Vaudevilles), Maia Tskneteli, Kharataant Kera (staged at the K. Marjanishvili Theatre), etc. Music for feature films: Keto and Kote (musical edition of V. Dolidze's opera and several original numbers, including Even If I Sleep, 1948), Bednieri Shekhvedra (Happy Meeting) (1949), Gazapkhuli Sakenshi (Spring in Saken) (1950), Magdana's Lurja (Magdana's Horse) (1955), Chveni Ezo (Our Yard) (1956), Fatima (1958), Skhvisi Shvilebi (Other People's Children) (1958), Me, Grandma, Iliko and Ilarion (1962, together with N. Vatsadze), Didostatis Marjvena (The Right Hand of the Grand Master) (1969). He created popular songs, including Kelsabami (Necklace) (the musical emblem of Georgian television for many years), the romance Vedreba (Pleas) (based on G. Tabidze's poem Dedao Ghvtisav (Mother of God) and many others.

Kereselidze's music is characterized by melodiousness, expressiveness and a clearly expressed national style. Kereselidze is buried in the Didube Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures.

 

Source: საქართველოს დამოუკიდებლობის კომიტეტი: (1914–1918), ქართული ემიგრაცია, თბ., 2013, №1(4).

Literature: ბაბუნაშვილი ზ., ნოზაძე თ., მამულიშვილთა სავანე, თბ., 1994; იაშვილი მ., არჩილ კერესელიძე, თბ., 1977.

 

G. Toradze