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Image for Svaneti polyphony and Guria yodeling

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Svaneti polyphony and Guria yodeling

Duration:
1 hour
First broadcast:
Saturday 22 December 2007

Lucy Duran continues her musical journey through Georgia.

She travels to the highest and remotest part of Europe, Svaneti. An area of extraordinary natural beauty, it's also infamous for its banditry and war-lording, as well as being home to some of the world's oldest music. With the help of the Georgian military, the programme makes rare location recordings of these wild songs.

Presented by Lucy Duran
Produced by James Parkin

Tel. 020 7765 4661
Fax. 020 7765 4378
e-mail world.routes@bbc.co.uk

Music and featured items

21 items
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Music Played

    • Teatralebi Ensemble Tsin Tsqaro

  • Above the Caucasus mountains

    Lucy Duran flys above the Caucasus mountains en route to the isolated region on Svaneti.

  • Music Played

    • Riho Ensemble : Lazhgvashi, accompanied by the chianuri fiddle and the changi harp

  • Riho male choir

    Riho is a male choir based in the remote town of Mestia, in Georgia's Svaneti region.

  • Music Played

    • Riho Ensemble Kyria

  • Vartan Pilpani interview

    Lucy interviews Vartan Pilpani of Riho Ensemble about the harsh life in the mountain.

  • Music Played

    • Riho Ensemble Vitsbil/Matsbil

  • Georgian graveyard in Svaneti

    Lucy Duran and Rob Parsons in a Georgian graveyard in Svaneti, discussing death ritual.

  • South West Georgian singing

    Lucy and Rob travel near the Black Sea and the border with Turkey.

  • Music Played

    • Matchakhela Macthakhluri Tagunia (Matchakhluri Mouse)

    • Matchakhela Atcharuli Shairebi

  • Black Sea Coast in Batumi.

    Lucy and Rob on the Black Sea Coast in Batumi, overlooking Turkey.

  • Music Played

    • Shalva Chemo Shvidkatsa (Seven Men)

  • Yodeling tradition in Guria.

    The unique yodeling tradition in Guria province.

  • Music Played

    • Shalva Chemo Shalva Chemo, accompanied by the chonguri lute

    • Shalva Chemo Hasanbegura (vocal demonstration)

  • Yodeling and polyphony song.

    The group Shalva Chemo demonstrates the construction of a song.

  • The president's residence.

    Lucy and Rob at the new residence of the president, which is currently under construction.

  • Music Played

    • Eldar Shoshitashvili and his Ensemble Shushtari

  • Situation in Georgia

    Lucy and Rob discuss the current situation in Georgia.

  • Music Played

    • The Teatralebi Ensemble Odoia

  • Georgia Country Profile

    Find out more about Georgia

    Country Profile

  • Riho Ensemble

    Riho Ensemble have released a CD: Georgia - Vocal Polyphonies from Svaneti (Chant du Monde LDX274990)

    Record Label website

  • World routes helicopter in action

    World routes helicopter in action

  • Svaneti

    Svaneti

  • Mestia in Svaneti, Georgia

    Mestia in Svaneti, Georgia

  • Recording the group, Riho

    Recording the group, Riho

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