Europe at heart

Every year, the Beethovenfest’s Campus Project travels to a different host country to bring young musicians together. In June 2026, a group of members of the Federal Youth Orchestra and Federal Youth Choir set off for Tbilisi. The Georgian musicologist Nana Sharikadze was also there and asked the Artistic Director, Mirian Khukhunaishvili, and the exceptionally talented Georgian musician Tsotne Zedgnidze about the progress of the rehearsals.

What are your goals as Artistic Director of the Campus Project?

Mirian Khukhunaishvili: I have several goals. The first is to showcase the classical repertoire of Georgian music to the public. We have Tsotne Zedginidze as a young contemporary school representative. We have the choral music of our country. Secondly, we have a message. We could not just play and sing without reflecting the reality around us. Music, I believe, is the strongest message. Our concert is about the kind of geopolitical reality we are living in. 

How are you approaching Beethoven as a starting point for this message?

We are starting with Beethoven’s C-sharp Minor Quartet op. 131, the seventh movement. I put a lot of thought into what original Beethoven piece to include – we debated several options. This piece as beginning is very strong, as it shows Beethoven’s revolutionary mind and resistance. It’s one of his latest creations. It really establishes the tone for the rest of the programme.

How do you delve into the tradition of Georgia?

We include some choral pieces, to show this unique ornamental style of singing. One of them is Daigvianes, a catchy song. I always thought it was folk, but actually it’s a piece by the great-grandfather of Tsotne, Niko Sulkhanishvili. I will be singing it myself with the choir. It tells of a shepherd is singing from the mountains about his friends who are fighting the enemies, while he is hiding. It’s very melancholic, about a feeling of isolation. Maybe it resonates with me, because I’m from Georgia, but I live abroad. I follow everything from a distance through the news, detached from the daily reality on the ground.

For the finale there will be a merging of Beethoven and Georgian folk. How do you bring the worlds together?

My colleague Mika Mdinaradze created an arrangement of Beethoven’s »Europa steht!«, which was written after Napoleon’s defeat at the Congress of Vienna. There they redrew the map of Europe. We took only the first half that is about how Europe stands united as a nation. Then the Beethoven transforms into the traditional sami atas tselzed meti. Its text says »More than three thousand years, we have been singing and we will be singing our sweet Mravalzhamieri«. The melodies of Beethoven is also blended with the Georgian folk song Abaula. This warrior song combines its meaning with Beethoven’s European invocation. This results in a kind of Western-Georgian improvisation.

Do you see this medley as a declaration where you belong?

Yes. We are saying that our hope for Europe means not just joining something, but that this is our shared home, that we are fighting to a part of. The main message is that we share the Western European values of human rights in Georgia. I am enthusiastic to be part of this project at Beethovenfest. To bring the younger generation to this festival means to have more connection with the values we are striving for.

How do you see your role and the meaning of the Campus Project?

Tsotne Zedginidze: I see this project as a blend and exchange of cultures of Georgia and Germany. Young musicians from both countries come together in the orchestra, they communicate, make music with the great conductor Mirian Khukhunaishvili. I was asked to write a piece for this orchestra and this project. The request was specifically to put something Georgian in my music. The result is my new piece Chmebi: Georgian Fantasia for chamber orchestra and piano.

I heard that in the past you did not want to use folk music and folk tunes in your work. Why was that?

Yes. Before, I was very much against Georgian folk in my music. At a younger age I listened to a little bit of folk music, but it wasn’t my favourite. It was more European classical music of the nineteenth and twentieth century. 

What made you to turn to traditional music? 

As I became older, I started to understand the Georgian music much better and I started loving it. My great-grandfather Niko Sulkhanishvili was a very prominent Georgian composer, known for his perfect blending of Georgian folk music with classical music. There are some of his pieces in the Campus Concert, too.

You are also going to improvise on a Beethoven Bagatelle. How do you go about this?

I will be the Bagatelle followed by my answer to it. I will not touch Beethoven’s material. Instead of improvising on his themes, there will be just an intonation, an indirect connection. This Bagatelle is his last work, very tragic, very small. For me, it is an opening to the Galaxy.

What message does this joint project deliver to the world? What are we bringing to Beethovenfest and what does the festival deliver?

The message to the world is, that culture and cultures are important – traditions of different nations. We aspire to be respectful towards each others cultures. It is important to preserve these legacies. We Georgians love to receive guests from all over the world. We want to send the message that the cooperation with Europe is important.

What does the participation at Beethovenfest Bonn may mean for your career?

I know about this festival from early childhood. I was already listening to videos from Bonn on YouTube – this festival has a great legacy as the birthplace of Beethoven. It is a great opportunity for me to perform there, but also a challenge. I am writing a new piece for the occasion. I am grateful to be able to do that.