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Electrified by Classical: Pianist Giorgi Gigashvili

Giorgi Gigashvili feels just as comfortable in nightclubs as he does in concert halls. As the winner of the Georgian edition of The Voice, he could have become a pop star. But, not least due to an encounter with Martha Argerich, he decided to pursue a career as a classical pianist. On 11 November 2024, he played Schumann’s piano concerto with the Munich Symphony Orchestra at the Isarphilharmonie.

Pianist Giorgi Gigashvili sits casually on a bar stool in trainers, with a potted plant on the bar stool next to him.
Giorgi Gigashvili loves the silence in the concert hall just as much as partying with the audience to jazz, hip-hop and electro. Copyright: Kelly de Geer

A video call with Giorgi Gigashvili unexpectedly takes me to his mother’s living room in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has flown there at short notice to give a surprise performance at his best friend’s wedding. “I’ve played Chopin mazurkas, sung folk songs, pop, just about everything,” says the 23-year-old. Our conversation is lively and I learn a lot about the promising pianist, who never actually planned to become a classical musician – even though his mother promoted his talent early on.

In childhood, Gigashvili’s passion was singing and arranging Georgian folk and pop songs. And not without success: At the age of 13, he won the final of the Georgian edition of The Voice and made a name for himself as a pop singer. A turning point in his life as a classical pianist took place in Vigo in 2019. Having just won the International Piano Competition there, he met his great idol Martha Argerich. “When Martha presented me with the trophy and told me that I was her choice, I realised

Pianist Giorgi Gigashvili as a child sits at the piano and grins into the camera.
Little Giorgi already enjoyed playing the piano at the age of four. Copyright: Privatfoto Gigashvili
Arm in arm: Pianist Martha Argerich and Giorgi Gigashvili smile into the camera together.
Giorgi with his great idol, the pianist Martha Argerich. Copyright: Privatfoto Gigashvili

As a solo pianist, Gigashvili has already received numerous prizes. He released his debut CD in 2023 and performs in venues ranging from clubs to Carnegie Hall. Full of confidence, he pursues his goals: “I’m into many music genres and find the somewhat stricter classical genre very interesting. There is so much here that I can explore. I love trying out new stuff in old pieces.”

Whether in solo performances or with band, Gigashvili plays both pure classical or lets classical merge with pop, electro, hip hop and Georgian songs. Also in his repertoire are experimental originals: “I always give one hundred per cent on stage and am not averse to sacrificing myself a little. We Georgians love to give people our everything.” Gigashvili takes to the streets of Tbilisi to campaign for democracy and human rights, speaking out in support of LGBTQ rights and Georgia’s accession to the EU.

Screenshot of the video call with pianist Giorgi Gigashvili. He is sitting in his mother's living room in Tbilisi, Georgia. Behind him on the wall is a photo of Martha Argerich, among others.
High spirits at our Munich-Tbilisi video call. Gigashvili grew up in the Georgian capital. Copyright: Maria Zimmerer/Gasteig

Gigashvili draws energy for his work from the many interests he has besides music. Berlin, where he studied with Kirill Gerstein at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule and where he now lives, is “as extroverted as he is” and offers him endless possibilities: He loves shopping, cinema and theatre, and visits exhibitions in the underground museums on a weekly basis. For the future, he hopes for many concerts that etch themselves in his audiences’ memory. He is already toying with a new idea: “I’d like to play a 24-hour session at the Berghain techno club and immerse myself in music for a whole day.”

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