“City Lights” concerts in Germany with Georgian Chamber Orchestra
She is considered one of the most renowned violinists of our time: Lisa Batiashvili. Her virtuoso playing has been a source of enthusiasm for many years: the multi-award-winning artist regularly works with the world’s greatest conductors and orchestras – including the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2020, Lisa Batiashvili released an album entitled “City Lights” on Deutsche Grammophon featuring twelve pieces inspired by cities that have shaped the violinist personally and artistically. On this extraordinary musical journey with music by Bach, Morricone, Chaplin and Piazzolla, arranged by Nikoloz Rachveli, she is accompanied on the album by Till Brönner (trumpet) and singer/songwriter Katie Melua, among others – the result skillfully weaves classical music with jazz, film music, folk and pop.
Now Lisa Batiashvili brings “City Lights” LIVE to the stages of Germany for the first time. In May 2023, audiences in Bremen, Berlin and Ludwigsburg can experience a visual Gesamtkunstwerk with enchanting music.
Particularly important to the musician is her political commitment. Born in 1979 in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, she was born into the cradle of classical music: Her father was also a violinist, her mother a pianist, and she received music lessons at home as a small child. Influenced by her Georgian homeland’s struggle for independence, Batiashvili, who came to Germany in 1991 and now lives in Munich, is an outspoken critic of the Russian government – and so solidarity with Ukraine also comes naturally to her.
Back in 2014, she first performed the protest piece “Requiem For Ukraine” by Georgian composer Igor Loboda – a piece that has gained relevance to this day. Thus, Lisa Batiashvili is not only one of the remarkable violinists of the present, but also finds very clear words on political and social issues. The Lisa Batiashvili Foundation has already donated over 100,000 euros to musicians in Ukraine.
Following the success of her current album “Secret Love Letters”, world star Lisa Batiashvili will bring the magic of “City Lights” to the stage for the first time for three evenings in May 2023, enthralling her audience with her show on a journey through the world of music.
© André Josselin