Nino Qatamadze at the Festival Club
of the Tbilisi International Theatre Festival. By Michael WIERSING SUDAU
Nino Qatamadze is today probably the best known Georgian singer in the world. Whereas former Georgian stars from Soviet times may still be known by the people in those former socialist republics, she has been enjoying world-wide fame with one of her albums, "White", a decade ago. Certainly Qatamadze often appears live on stage in Georgia, but given her importance the audience at the "Hard Rock Cafe Tbilisi" - where the festival club is located during the theatre festival - could have been bigger even if the concert started at only 23:00 h. Cafe owners could have shown some more care regarding the conditions the concert took place in: or is it really necessary that TV sets continue playing their programs while a live concert is taking place in the hall ?
Nino Quatamadze played a set of songs for 90 minutes - including three songs from the acclaimed 'White" album, and clearly she and her band "Insight" enjoyed themselves. Always smiling, always supporting each other. Qatamadze loves what she does: She shows no signs of suffering from stardom, is close to the public both physically and with her heart. She enjoys making the audience sing along her songs as she lifts her hand, to interact with the crowd. It could well be that some of her songs are too long - it seems there is quite a lack of short and sweet pieces. However Qatamdze's charms always play well with the audience. After the show she enjoys talking to the people, always ready to have herself photographed together with them. Although real stars Nino Qatamadze and her band are still as easy to approach and accessible as if they were nobodies. A great concert.
Michael WIERSING SUDAU,
Detmold, Germany
Accredited journalist at the Tbilisibe
International Theatre Festival