Taktakishvili Otar
Otar Taktakishvili (b. July 27, 1924, Tbilisi – d. Februar 21, 1989, Tbilisi), composer, People's Artist of Georgia (1961) and the USSR (1974), winner of the Shota Rustaveli State Prize (1987), the USSR State Prize (3 times – 1951, 1952, 1967) and the Lenin Prize (1983). In 1947, he graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatoire (S. Barkhudaryan's class). In 1947–1952, he was the concertmaster and conductor of the Georgian Choir, in 1952–1956 – the artistic director, from 1959 – a teacher of the Tbilisi Conservatoire (from 1966 – professor), and in 1962–1965 – the rector. Taktakishvili was the Secretary of the USSR Composers' Union (1957–1962), Chairman of the Georgian Composers' Union (for a short time, 1962), Minister of Culture of Georgia (1965–1984). His work is genre-diverse, thematically rich, and has indigenous national basis. Taktakishvili's important works include: operas — Mindia (1961), Sami Novela (Three Novels) (1967, Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi; With the title Three Lives, it was also staged in the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre (1972) and in Bratislava (1974)), Mtvaris Motatseba (Stealing the Moon) (1977, premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR, in 1978 — at the Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi); comic operas — Mususi (Greedy) (1978) and Pirveli Sikvaruli (First Love) (1980, Tbilisi); one-act opera — Marita (1988); symphonic poem Mtsiri (Pilgrim) (1956), 4 piano concertos (1951–1983), violin concerto (1977), cello concerto (1978), piano quintet (1986), vocal cycles based on Vazha-Pshavela and G. Tabidze's poems (1959), oratorios — Chaukrobeli Kera (The Unquenchable Hearth) (1964; 2nd edition 1970), Rustavelis Nakvalevze (In the Footsteps of Rustaveli) (1964, based on the cycle of poems of the same name by I. Abashidze), Nikoloz Baratashvili (1970), cantatas — Guruli Simgherebi (Gurian Songs) (1971), Megruli Simgherebi (Mingrelian Songs) (1972), Satrpialo Simgherebi (Love Songs) (1974), Akakis Changi (Akaki's Harp) (1983,), choral and instrumental plays, music for dramatic performances (Oidipos Mepe (Oedipus the King) — staged at the Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli Theatre, Zamtris Zghapari (The Winter Tale) — staged by the Moscow Art Theatre).
Taktakishvili was the author of the Anthem of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1945–1990); a member of the Presidium of the International Music Council under UNESCO; a member of the Lenin Prize Committee; an Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi (1985). He received state awards.
Literature: ახმეტელი მ., ო. თაქთაქიშვილი, «საბჭოთა ხელოვნება», 1967, N9; დონაძე ლ., ოთარ თაქთაქიშვილის შემოქმედება (I პერიოდი), იქვე, 1984, N7; ტორაძე გ., ოდა სულმნათს, იქვე, 1966, N10; ჩხიკვაძე გ., საქართველოს საბჭოთა კომპოზიტორები, თბ., 1956; ჭირაქაძე გ., ოთარ თაქთაქიშვილის გვერდით, თბ., 1999 (ქართ. და რუს. ენებზე).
Otar Taktakishvili House Museum was founded in 1998, opened in June 1999. The interior of the composer's workroom is preserved; there is a memorial plaque on the house (Tbilisi, Otar Taktakishvili St. N7).
G. Toradze
