Album Notes

Darbazi is a Toronto-based ensemble dedicated to the performance of traditional polyphonic music from Georgia in the Caucasus, a mountainous region at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
Vakhtanguri, as a supruli or table song, is celebratory. It is performed with dear friends around a table laden with good food and wine. Vakhtanguri as a form of toasting is distinctive. After contributing their sentiments to a toast, two drinkers are required to interlock arms, drink a full glass of wine, and kiss each other on alternating cheeks three times. Vakhtanguri as an expression, or as the title of this CD, defies translation. Indeed it is more an experience one must have. It reflects the interlocking of the arms, the dearness of close friendship, the profoundness of being able to share timeless moments, whether they be around the warmth of a traditional Georgian dinner or in the midst of battle. It likewise reflects the intimate feelings one has when singing the close harmonies of traditional Georgian polyphonic songs. The use of Vakhtanguri for the title of this CD is also indicative of who we are – an ensemble of Canadians and Georgians who are so inspired by Georgian polyphony.