>> Stephen Winick: Welcome.
I'm Stephen Winick with the
American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress,
and this interview is part
of the 2021 Homegrown
at Home Concert Series.
In this series we have asked
wonderful traditional musicians
from all over the word
to record concert videos
and send them to us.
This began as a measure to
keep everyone safe during the
COVID-19 pandemic, but
still maintain the tradition
of bringing you homegrown
concerts.
On the Library of
Congress website
and YouTube channel you'll
find many concert videos,
both recorded live at
the Library of Congress,
and since 2020, recorded
by artists in
or near their homes as well.
Today, I am joined in this
interview by Theadocia Austen,
the producer of the
concert series.
Our special guests are Nino
Naneishvili and Ana Lolashvili
who represent the Georgian
Polyphonic singing group Ialoni.
Welcome to both of you
to the interview series,
and if you wouldn't mind, could
you each pronounce your own name
for us so that people
won't be relying
on my faulty pronunciation?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Of course.
I am Nino Naneishvili.
>> Ana Lolashvili:
I am Ana Lolashvili.
>> Stephen Winick: Well welcome
to both of you and welcome
to the interview series.
>> Theadocia Austen: So, can
you tell us just a little bit
about what's going on with the
pandemic in Georgia right now?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Nowadays in Georgia,
it's better situation
as it was last month.
Yesterday government decided to
cancel wearing mask in open air
and it's just we [inaudible].
The office is in [inaudible],
but a lot around us has COVID-19
and it's not so clean
[inaudible] better and better.
>> Theadocia Austen: I believe
a friend of yours told me
that almost everybody
in the group has had it.
Is that correct, in the past?
>> Nino Naneishvili: So now
one day-- one week before,
for example, one our
member base had it
and she's now okay,
but we are safe.
Not all of us, but I had it
in November [inaudible]
whole group.
>> Theadocia Austen: Wow.
Well, we're very happy that you
guys have recovered and I hope
that you all stay
safe from here on out.
>> Stephen Winick: Yes, we're
sorry that you've had it,
but as Thea says, very
happy that you've recovered
and that you're all
doing well now.
So, we'd like to begin the
musical questions by asking,
sort of, questions
about learning Georgian
traditional music.
So, what were some of
your earliest experiences
with traditional singing?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Ana,
maybe you want to answer first?
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
I think of my childhood
and music, it's my life.
Yeah. And I'm so
happy that I sing
for a famous woman's
group Ialoni
and [inaudible] Ialoni
is a special anthem
because this is woman anthem.
And in Georgia there are
not many anthems of woman,
woman choirs, and it's special.
>> Stephen Winick: So, Ana did
you have family members whose--
who were traditional musicians?
Did you grow up with
it as a child?
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
My sister.
I have sisters and
they are singers also.
We are singing together
and create voices and--
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah,
there are four sisters
and also mother close to music.
And she also [inaudible]
learning [inaudible]
and [inaudible] because she has
very high scores on this exam.
>> Stephen Winick:
Congratulations.
>> Theadocia Austen:
Did you grow--
so you grew up in
a family that sang
and you learned songs from them?
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen:
And you did too, Nino?
Did you also grow up
in a family that sang?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Partly.
Not all of my family
members can sing well.
But father is not singer
but very good mailman
and also mother likes it so
much and she was a journalist
and she works like
now [inaudible]
and in different
parts of Georgia.
She travelled a lot and made
TV programs and it was so close
to music and rituals
and traditions
and it gave me so much.
And from five years old I
start to chant in the church
and also play on the piano and
I go to the pianist concert,
but I discovered on
my feelings and saw
for me it was more important
to do traditional music
not classical and national.
And also, I sang in
several folk ensembles
from childhood and yeah.
It's for me the main musical
style which I enjoy to do
and with pleasure and
happiness and thanks
to God I have several
brilliant girls around me
and they helped me to
make my dreams real.
>> Stephen Winick:
That is wonderful.
So, is traditional music
typically taught in schools
to children in Georgia?
It seems there's
traditional music everywhere,
but is it something that's
put into the curriculum?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Unfortunately, not so seriously.
In several schools, but
it's mostly private schools.
Not every-- each of them.
Also, musical world and
different genres and it's
so little percentage
of traditional music.
I think it must be more
because now I have workshops
with music teachers
and not [inaudible],
also teachers unfortunately
know so--
not so widely about
our traditional music.
But it comes from the
government of course and you try
to give culture and it's
so strong in this way.
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah,
there is University
of Georgia folk songs
and chant in Georgia
and I'm studying here also.
And my teacher, my lecturers
and I'm proud of her.
>> Theadocia Austen: So, do
you think that that's changing?
Do you think the interest
is increasing now or is it--
where do you think the
general interest is in Georgia,
in Georgian's own interest
in traditional music?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Ana,
how do you think about it?
>> Ana Lolashvili: I think young
people isn't really interested
in folk music, but the
Georgian folk songs,
they are very polyphonic
and also known,
always everyone knows this.
But in young people, it isn't
very popular, Georgian folk.
>> Theadocia Austen: So, they
listen more to pop music and-- ?
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen: And things
like that rather than classical?
Do you want to-- so, would
you like to change that?
I mean I imagine with your
teaching, you're teaching--
you said you're teaching
teachers, school teachers?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Yeah, it's university,
[inaudible] State University,
and they have one year program
to make their degree higher and
from it [inaudible] surprised
that they knew so-- they have
so small information about it
and they know so--
not so much songs.
And I think it's because it has
maybe it comes from [inaudible].
Maybe it needs to change like
a stereotype that's in Georgia,
for example, it's
a lot men example.
Patriarchalism-- patriarch,
is how you say, yeah?
And I think it needs
to [inaudible] equality
and be more colorful
with creative samples,
because nowadays in Georgia
we have one or two big stream,
so called folk music,
which associated
with our traditional
men dress [inaudible]
and with loudly performing of
[inaudible] something special,
not it's so real
as it is really.
Because we have a lot generous,
a lot manner of performing
and I think it's-- the reason
because it's so impressionable
because it has, you know, it's
like an identity, nationality,
and traditionalist, and orthodox
religious, it's mixed with--
together, and I think
it's not real to think
about these things together
because it's absolutely
possible not to be, for example,
religious or not be a
fundamentalist on orthodox way
and some people have [inaudible]
musician world inside
and they must express their
views and it's not freedom.
I think so.
It's in the frame and this frame
is not so wide as music was,
and it is, but it needs
to open windows or doors
or it needs more space
to express what it is.
And I think if we can, each
of us, and our new generation
and our friends, if all they
can find inside the force
to express their own individual
creative views and sounds
and repertoire and everything,
it must be more impressionable,
because, for example, I have
a friend who is, for example,
artist or in business, in bank,
not musicians, and many years
for them my thinking
life was like a to humor
and laughing and
joking about it.
But I think about a lot why it
is because we are close friends,
we have similar views
about many many things,
but not in this way.
For them, it was not
so emotional traditional
music as for me.
And also, another
[inaudible] friend who started
to research these
reasons and he find
out I think what nice
interesting salary
that in our inside world,
all of us, all Georgians
and all human kind
has big musicality
because we hear everything,
a bird singing
and nature and everything.
But it needs to connect
with real music
and to connect with ancestors.
For example, it's not so
impressionable nowadays to how
to say talk about ancestors,
because sometimes it's so a lot,
it's like two kind of Georgians
who is very traditionalist
or who is very like
protective globalization
or how can I express.
And they have like a stress
and they choose the
opposite position
against this big [inaudible]
and traditions and because it--
several things need to change.
It needs to be more
modern, for example.
And I think we need to work
so much and think about it,
not just standing
at a stage or work
on the cities and
be in our circle.
We want to be wider.
We need to communicate
in different--
with different kinds of persons.
For example, it's very
fashionable to hear jazz
and classical music and
electronic music here,
and it's like a style for them.
It's good style to
go in this concert.
Sometimes they can kind of
sense what happens really
in musical way, but it's yeah
got style and fashionable.
And I think we need
to think about it to--
to make folk as modern music
and to go inside this--
our friends, or not friends,
emotions and feelings.
Sorry a lot.
>> Stephen Winick: Mm-hmm.
Well, it's-- and it definitely,
we can tell in hearing you talk
about this Nino that in addition
to being a musician you're
a trained ethnographer,
an ethnomusicologist,
because you're talking
about the connections of
music and culture and the fact
that this musical tradition
was wider historically
than what is often presented.
So, do you find that
your training
in ethnomusicology has
also affected your approach
to the music?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Yeah, of course.
Yeah. It has big
influence on each other.
>> Theadocia Austen: It's--
well it's so interesting that,
you know, when you
think about it,
aside from the way folk
music is labeled, songs,
like for instance,
[inaudible], which is a lull--
which is announcing
the birth of a child,
is something very very basic to
anyone who's ever had a child,
in the modern world,
the ancient world,
and there's no reason why
we need to think of that
as simply a historic artifact.
You can think about
that in a modern way,
unless we've stashed it away and
put it in a little cubby hole.
It's when you hear a
human voice give voice
to it it's very compelling
in the moment.
So, and your performance of
[inaudible] at the beginning
of your concert was
beautiful and very compelling.
And the ring dance
was very interesting.
Is a ring dance typically
done with [inaudible]?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yes, yes.
Not with first one version
because it's more lyrical;
it's like talking to a sun
and it's more meditation.
But in this ritual,
several other versions
of [inaudible] had round dances.
And exactly this version was
mixed with city songs harmonies
with new one as the first one.
>> Theadocia Austen:
Very interesting.
Very interesting.
And Georgians do
ring dances to a lot
of different kinds
of songs, don't they?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Sorry, again please.
>> Theadocia Austen: So, it's--
there are ring dances to a lot
of different kinds
of songs, aren't--
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen:
What other kinds
of songs do Georgians
do ring dances for?
>> Nino Naneishvili: It's very
often it's with healing songs,
but on [inaudible] songs.
It's, in [inaudible]
high mountain,
west part high mountain regions
we have a lot two choir songs
which has round dances.
It's sometimes like a hunter's
songs, just jokey songs,
in [inaudible] we have a
lot like these songs, yeah,
about woman, for example.
We have several songs
which play with the boys
for example and kind of humor.
In [inaudible] we have like
every [inaudible] songs,
for example, woman [inaudible].
And in Westward [inaudible],
for example,
in [inaudible] maybe
we have some of them,
not-- it's not so spread.
Because yeah, it's
connected most with rituals,
because this circle was
connected with religious of sun
and moon, which is after changed
with science [inaudible]
and Jesus.
It is per Christian
views and mythology
and it save this symbol of
circle, which was also connected
with meditation and go out the
world, because it was mostly
like a pray mix of a
healing song, which is pray
about ill people, yeah.
Ana, maybe you remember
something else that I--
[ Inaudible Response ]
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Yeah, hunting.
>> Stephen Winick: So, we
kind of moved into talking
about the video a little
bit and so I wonder
if you could tell us, sort
of generally what the idea
behind your concert video was,
because it was so well
thought out and presented.
So, what was the general
concept behind that video?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah.
It's so-- my expression
and I think, yeah,
it comes from our deep views
and attitudes to traditions,
rituals and whole our life.
And the first case of this idea
to make our concert to birth--
from birth to death, it
was born so called in 2014,
because our very close friend
died before our concert,
so one month before,
maybe, [inaudible].
He was very young, very
nice ethnomusicologist also.
His father, [inaudible]
was founder
of very famous [inaudible].
And yeah, it was
historical family
and [inaudible] this
tragedy and we decide to--
not decide, we feel something
absolute different as before,
because our young friend
disappeared and anyway,
we planned to make a
concert to tell jokey songs
and dancing songs and, yeah,
you know, life is going.
And in this way, we decide
to dedicate this concert
to our friend's life.
And also, it was a very pain
for us that several days before,
also died, John Graham's baby
and also it was a very
big tragedy for us
and we saw clearly that,
yeah, we need to think
about different idea as
just performing songs.
And maybe we catch exactly
this moment that Ialoni
like a sun rising in
[inaudible] world,
but our sun rising's
also so close, who knows.
And also, my idea was to
make concept like a theatre
without clapping, without having
conversations because when I was
in public, I always go out
from this song centered rituals
as it catch several minutes.
And we also were recorded at
city like this, and I wanted
to end with girls and
we had a conversation
and they all was we decided that
we have a small time half hour
but we wanted to
show just a glimpse
from our traditional
songs, rituals on this way,
from the beginning
to the end, and yeah,
I think it's nice
sometimes to think about like
if it was a thing that you
are now alive and performing
and communicated everything
but something goes wrong after
and we need to prove this
space; nobody knows what is it,
but something eternal.
>> Stephen Winick: Yeah, it
was a beautiful presentation
that really brought us, sort of,
through the life
cycle in that way.
So, we thank you
for thinking so much
about the video before
you recorded it.
It was not just a
concert, but it had ritual
and other things in, you know,
developed within the sort
of narrative that it told,
so it was wonderful to see.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Thank you.
That's [inaudible].
>> Stephen Winick:
You're very welcome.
One of the things
that we noticed was
that there were three musical
instruments that were played,
one of them by Ana, the
[inaudible], and we wondered
if you could tell us a little
bit about the instruments
that you used in your concert.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Mm-hmm.
Ana, maybe you--
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah, I play
[inaudible] and also [inaudible]
and we sing [inaudible]
songs by [inaudible].
And [inaudible] songs we sing,
also with [inaudible], yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen: Can
you describe it for anybody
who might be watching this
and wondering what it is?
>> Ana Lolashvili: What?
>> Theadocia Austen: Can
you describe the instrument?
[ Foreign Language Spoken ]
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah, it
string-- it has strings, yeah,
and it has different
scales, yeah.
It has four scales.
I can show if you want.
>> Nino Naneishvili: It's made
by [inaudible] famous
instrumentalist.
It's [inaudible] we all
ask him to do for us
and it needs special time
of year to cut the wood
from the forest and it's
also a special kind of wood.
I don't know what exactly, but
he choose it also it's the time
for dry this wood and after
this ritual it's possible to--
[ Music ]
>> Ana Lolashvili:
It's one scale.
[ Music ]
So, it has four strings.
And this is [inaudible].
It's called [inaudible].
Yeah.
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Short for [inaudible].
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah,
this is short string.
[ Foreign Language Spoken ]
>> Nino Naneishvili:
How she change, yeah,
from the side she
changes the strings.
>> Ana Lolashvili:
Look like this.
[ Music ]
>> Theadocia Austen: Thank you.
>> Nino Naneishvili: About
other instruments maybe you're
interested in also.
It's in mostly in
[inaudible] songs and also
in [inaudible], I can show you.
>> Ana Lolashvili: [inaudible]
developed in [inaudible]
but we play on [inaudible].
>> Nino Naneishvili: Uh-huh.
It has three strings.
It's in good condition now
and it also has a string
like a violin [inaudible].
And also, very nice
instrument [inaudible].
I have it not here, but
it's also from [inaudible],
and it's so interesting
that they had
to save real old Georgian mold.
It's not in temperature,
for example, [singing].
It's different, yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen:
Yeah, the Georgian scale,
or the Georgian fifth is divided
evenly instead of the way
in the west it's divided
in half and whole steps.
So, in Georgia you don't--
your third is neither major
nor minor, for instance,
for people who care about that
and know that kind of thing.
Also, I noticed in the morning--
in the morning scene that you
did, you had a beautiful harp
that looked like one of the
supporting arms of it was carved
in the shape of a medieval
tower, from [inaudible].
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yes, yes.
Its Georgia name of
this harp is Changi.
Changi, and it has
several strings and yeah,
it's close with the harp and the
lira and also, it's used just
in [inaudible] and if it's
a tower it was the idea
of our [inaudible] member,
the performer in the--
plays on the [inaudible]
instrument, [inaudible],
and she ordered to make
this tower on her harp.
>> Theadocia Austen: Well,
it was-- it's a beautiful--
it's a beautiful touch
showing the connection
between the place and the music.
That scene, in particular,
was-- I found--
well, the whole video
was beautiful, but that--
the morning scene I
found so compelling.
It really just brought
me to tears, I think.
It was moving for
so many people.
And there's so many--
there's so much of it
that I want to ask you about.
In the symbolism
you put into it,
the pomegranate,
the symbol of life.
You had a bridge
there, I believe.
Was there a-- and you had laid
out a costume on the floor
that was of course not on
a human being that looked
like it represented this
woman who had drowned herself.
Is that something that would
be traditionally done or was
that done for the
video as a symbol
of what happened in the song?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah,
thank you for this question.
It was really so hard and
emotional to recall this song.
We can include [inaudible]--
perform it again,
it was so with emotions, really
and tears inside and yeah.
It's about a ritual, we have a
collaboration with a painter,
a nice painter form
[inaudible] and some
of symbols was [inaudible]
from our [inaudible].
But, for example, dress, it's
part of ritual to put a dress
of the died person, it's
spread in [inaudible].
This bridge we ordered
especially for this picture
for to show this content of
this song, because in this song
in [inaudible] language, it
talks about a girl who fell
down from the-- not
from bridge to river
and this white material
was the kind of river.
For example, this pomegranate
like a symbol of love.
And yeah, to put also instrument
and something was used
from type was also
spread, and I don't know
in other world how it
is, other countries,
but it's so spread here
to put with a died person
in the ground things what
was used on this person.
So, dresses, instruments,
or maybe, yeah,
it was also [inaudible]
different countries,
rings and earrings and yeah.
And yeah, we tried to have
performance to mix with old
and with more [inaudible].
>> Theadocia Austen:
It's especially--
I also found it very
compelling just because,
as you were saying, so
often male ensembles tour,
and so you don't necessarily
hear songs like that or rituals
that women would
participate in or tell stories
of women's lives, and I'm sure
it was not an uncommon thing
to be in an unhappy marriage
or difficult marriage.
I'm sure life in any village
is going to be difficult.
But it was-- you all
did such a beautiful job
of showing us repertoire
that is not usually heard,
and that scene was
particularly moving.
I mean going back to the
beginning of the video,
I mean both of us
had some questions.
The lullaby, we noticed
that you used red material.
You had draped a tree
I think in red material
and I think is there an
association with that color
or that ritual and
the healing song?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Ana, maybe
you want to tell about this?
>> Ana Lolashvili:
You can take it.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Okay, yeah.
In healing songs, [inaudible]
songs, it was so spread
to use red material; it
was like a rule if somebody
in the family, most
of the children had
at least feeling all of family
members must wear the red dress
because it was like a
[inaudible] but this is
so [inaudible], so
called [inaudible],
like lords, like angels.
It's unclear nowadays also
what it was and what it is,
but it's like believe that
they really can kill ill person
and they loved so much singing
and smell of their flowers
and red color and to have
a circle around the bed
of the ill person
and have dances also.
And really, people afraid
so much this illness,
and because of this we have
maybe 100 and more versions
of healing songs, which is
so close to [inaudible].
In harmony way, in mood
performing, like a calming
and so mostly nice
melodies and so quiet.
And yes, this red to make tree
in red it was also this
our painter, he advised us
that maybe you want to have
something new, not just ritual
as you know in the sources.
I was a little bit afraid
and I had a conversation
with the girls if maybe
it's not a good idea
to change something
with tradition part.
Also, we have a wish tree.
I think it spread
in many countries
and this wish tree also
has the materials on it
and have a [inaudible] and
we decided to connect also,
like the space it was
like a fire and like a--
make it alive against
dying and illness,
it was like, yeah, [inaudible].
>> Stephen Winick: It's a
really interesting tradition
because of course, you know,
you're singing these songs
that have a kind of calming
feeling and the idea is
that you're calming the spirit
that might harm the person,
and that's part of
the reason to do it.
But even if you don't-- even
if the spirit's not there,
the calming song would be good
for the person who's
sick as well.
So, it's an interesting
tradition
that it covers the bases in
those two ways in terms of,
you know, presenting a song that
will be conducive to healing
for the person, regardless
of the context.
So, it's a-- it was a
beautiful video as well,
just a beautiful
version of that.
So, thank you for that song.
I think the other thing that
might stand out to our viewers,
all of the women in Ialoni
are such beautiful singers,
and so beautiful, but the person
that people might fall in love
with watching this video was
your 90-year-old guest singer
who was an extraordinary spirit.
So, who is she and how
did you come to know here?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Sorry,
you mean-- which one you mean?
You mean--
>> Stephen Winick:
The older woman
who sang the lullabies with you.
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Ah, yeah grandma,
our [inaudible] grandma.
Yeah, [inaudible].
>> Ana Lolashvili:
Yeah, grandmother.
Yeah. They are very special
grandmother in [inaudible].
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah,
in [inaudible] west part.
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
And in other grandmother
is [inaudible] west part
of Georgia.
Yeah, her name is [inaudible].
Yeah. And it's so-- it
was every emotional.
We made her, yea.
It was 90, yeah,
90 years old, yeah.
But she has very energy.
So, yeah it was very so-- it--
we were surprised because
she feel very good and--
>> Theadocia Austen: did
you meet her when you went
to the village to
do your research?
I know that you do
a lot of research
in villages and collecting.
Is that-- or did you--
how did you meet her?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah, I
will tell you it was the part
for my [inaudible] grandma
because she was so old
and were afraid maybe
we can't hurry up
and now we're [inaudible]
it would be so nice for her
and she had a very nice family.
It's three girls and two boys.
It's so nice, musicians and
dancers, and this girl helped me
so much, this woman,
to make a picture
and plan how we can
organize to meet with her
because this village was so top
in the mountain it was so hard
to get there, the snow also.
And she told me she's--
sometimes she's so open
and very nice mood and so I
remember songs and everything.
But sometimes she close and we
can't understood where is she,
and I can promise you that yes,
you are welcome two three days
and then she will
be communicate.
And we were so afraid
but the plan, risky plan,
but it was big happiness
to meet with her
because a lot interesting
and so clever thinks.
She was also so strong person.
She told us that she can
fight with wolves when come
against the cows,
she had nine cows.
But also, she asked us to
go in the balcony with her
and tell us look, I can hear
what the spirits talk about
and we were so surprised.
And also, she asked,
after submitting,
she asked her daughter, please,
call these girls and tell them
that I dreamed about them,
whole life, because I was
so comfortable and happy to sing
with them, and please come again
because it was in
March, in 8 March,
it was like a woman's day.
And today the first flowers came
from the ground and please come
and look and we can't-- we
couldn't go, but yeah it felt
like celebration
to start singing.
It was first time I
heard about this woman
in the [inaudible] program,
[inaudible] program,
and she just remind me this
[inaudible], musical [inaudible]
[ Singing ]
It was so famous song,
but different version.
And it was so big
influence for me
that I discovered this new
energy, new style of the song.
And asked after several people,
really did they show us the
different versions of this song.
And then we decide to
mix this, you know,
it's a very rich rich
origin of [inaudible]
and each village has different
versions of exactly this song,
because it's so popular.
And yeah, we thought it would be
nice to make something original,
not exactly one version.
Part of grandma was
our [inaudible].
>> Stephen Winick: Yeah, and
it's funny that-- yeah, sorry.
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah, part
of grandma has like a rich base
of Georgian folk songs and we
record a lot of folk songs.
And when we were
music for [inaudible].
Yeah, so--
>> Stephen Winick: No, I was
going to say that it's funny
that she said she dreamed of you
because of course she's
the dream come true
for ethnographers or singers who
want to meet someone like that.
Your whole life you're hoping
that you'll meet someone
like that when you're
trying to learn these songs
or learn about the traditions.
And so-- and people who are--
who are older and part of
the tradition often wish
for someone younger
to pass it on to.
So, you had that going
both ways, those--
that, you know, you were
each the dream come true
for the other, and
that's a beautiful thing
to see in the video.
>> Nino Naneishvili:
It was the biggest gift
for us to hear this.
>> Theadocia Austen:
You filmed on location
in several different
villages, isn't that right?
I mean you go to a lot of
villages to do your work
and you had some lovely
locations, like the location
where you did the
wedding rituals.
that was a different
place, wasn't it, from-- ?
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Yeah, wedding ritual was
in this same region,
neighborhood of this--
yeah, [inaudible], but yeah, we
decided to make it an open air
because it was nice nature.
>> Theadocia Austen:
And those are both--
those are in western Georgia?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah, yeah.
It's [inaudible] region.
>> Theadocia Austen:
[inaudible] region.
Uh-huh. Those are-- it
was a beautiful setting
for those wedding songs.
They're very interesting.
I know that you said
that, you know,
typically the [inaudible]
would be sung by the best man
of the groom, but now
women also sing it.
Can you talk about that at all?
Is that a modern thing or is
it just that women have decided
that this is a great song
and they want to sing it too?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah.
>> Theadocia Austen:
How has that changed?
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah.
Yeah, sometimes we
change tradition.
But the first song, which was
just in one it was from Tusheti
and it's exactly song of bride.
And she says that she calls
the groom and it's east part
of Georgia, Tusheti mountains.
It's a beautiful place and it's
different character persons.
They're more strict and
closed and they have a lot
so called angry songs about love
because when they lost lover
the woman is so stronger person
that they can say such words and
verses as not in other regions.
Maybe in other regions feel
this pain and maybe aggressive
and everything is same for
everybody but they're shy
to express or can't do it.
And in Tusheti it's so
interesting to hear the words
and it's interesting that the
polyphonic kind of way it's
so spread as in the west
part because for them it's
so important content of verses.
And they express a very
deep feelings in words
and with just one voice melody,
and this is sample of it,
and it tells that, hey, a
groom come if you are coming,
but if you didn't
come, I wish for you--
better think, that
ground open it's mouth
and you disappear
down it like this.
And yeah, it wish them.
And it's very exactly, so word
by word it's your bed will the
ground word and it was the song
of bride before the wedding.
And another song in [inaudible]
I never hear in [inaudible]
with woman voices, it's from
[inaudible] or lost territory,
you know, our [inaudible]
by Russia.
It was our part, and
this different language,
it's like a dialect, not
Georgian and it's mostly
in the [inaudible]
list without meaning.
It's this song, but it's
a calling of two person
to each other, exactly
best man's song.
And third one had one
exactly from [inaudible]
where we were this time.
And in the words, it
seems that the bride sing
about their mother-in-law.
[inaudible].
>> Stephen Winick: So, I
know you had mentioned before
that in men's ensembles there's
typically clothes that they wear
that are significant, and
I wonder if the clothing
of Ialoni has any significance
or if it's just beautiful
dresses that you're wearing?
>> Nino Naneishvili: You mean
about traditional dresses?
>> Stephen Winick: Yeah.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Ana, maybe
you want to tell about it,
about our dresses what this
means [inaudible] traditional?
>> Ana Lolashvili: Yeah.
Our traditional look
is from another--
from different part
of Georgia, yeah.
So, we take work from
[inaudible], from [inaudible]--
from another different
region and it is traditional,
of course, yeah,
traditional dress
and it has the Georgian
elements.
>> Theadocia Austen: So,
you put it together--
>> Ana Lolashvili: With an
ornament elements, yeah.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Also,
for us, it's so important
to choose the colors,
because I think
that colors express our tempers
of thinking and individual
and also it's friendly.
But yeah, each of girls has
their own color what they love
mostly, and yeah, we tried
to choose this colorful--
>> Stephen Winick: Thank you.
So, I think we're coming
to the end of our time
for the interview, so I wanted
to give you both, Ana and Nino,
the opportunity to say
anything you want to say
to an American audience about
Georgian traditional music
or about the whole culture
that you're part of.
>> Nino Naneishvili: Yeah,
thank you for this opportunity
and to open for us this space on
this strange and difficult time
to communicate with
people who are interested
in about Georgian
music and maybe
who didn't know about it before.
And I think Georgian music
is like part of world music
and I wish and I hope
that it will be more
and more interesting for
many people, in first case
for Georgians I dream about it.
And I hope every person can
find on it very useful roots
of humanity and to find
their own quietness
and a study can [inaudible]--
yeah, I wish to feel the sound
in whole, this three
or four voice in whole.
It's so big gift from
the other world, I think,
and I think we need to save and
try to hear it more and more.
And, for example, in rehearsals
when we try to sing together,
main thing to feel
each other and find
out each other's thinking,
emotion, and temper
and one whole with everything
and I think it's
very [inaudible].
>> Stephen Winick:
Well, thank you so much.
We want to once again say that
this is prat of the Homegrown
at Home 2021 Concert Series
and we have been talking
with Nino Naneishvili and Ana
Lolashvili of the group Ialoni
and I'm Stephen Winick.
My colleague here
is Theadocia Austen
from the American
Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress.
So, thank you both for being
such wonderful interview guests
and of course for the
wonderful concert video
that you sent to us.
We have watched it many times
and it's a beautiful part
of our series, so thank
you again so much.
>> Nino Naneishvili:
Thank you so much.
[ Music ]