SENDING A MESSAGE OF PEACE TO THE WORLD
By Nino Gvalia
Messenger.ge, Georgia
Friday, September 22, 2006, #180 (1200)
The Caucasian Chamber Orchestra is on tour
Art crosses all borders, and dares people to live in harmony and
love. It must come as pleasant news that last year the German
conductor composer and pianist Uwe Berkemer founded the Caucasian
Chamber Orchestra.
The orchestra, under the patronage of the first lady of Georgia Sandra
Roelofs, features musicians from Georgia, Armenia and Russia. As
Berkemer told The Messenger musicians are working in peace and
agreement.
"Music is the universal language and can bring people together,"
said the conductor, adding that the main purpose of the orchestra
is to send a message of peace to the world and show that Caucasian
people can work with each other without fighting, in harmony. "We
also want to popularize music by Caucasian composers, because people
internationally know very little about them," admitted Berkemer.
When asked why he worries about this region so much, the German
musician replied that he has an intense relationship with Caucasian
people, as since 2000 he is married to a Georgian violinist. "This
region is close to my heart," said Berkemer smiling.
At present the Caucasian Chamber Orchestra is on tour, they played
a concert in Vienna, then in Brussels and, from September 23rd, the
Caucasian musicians will participate in a festival in the south of
France. The orchestra has also various interesting plans after coming
back home. The line up looks busy: performing at the Shostakovich
Jubilee in Tbilisi on September 29th, concerts in Shida Kartli, the
North Caucasus including Vladikavkaz and Beslan, Iran and finally,
maybe even in Sokhumi, to prove once again that music can make people
forget about ethnic or political conflicts.