CES Records dig deep into the life’s work of an overlooked female composer. While Natela Svanidze stands as one of Georgia’s most prominent figures in 20th century musical development, Natela stands to introduce the rest of the continent — if not the whole world — to her pioneering electronic works. The two versions of ‘Epitaphium’ here alone demonstrate her core strengths as an arranger and producer; the first an eerie dirge, backed by choral and orchestral ambience, the second a synthesised masterpiece composed of blocky leads and misty proto-pads. ‘Nat Mode’ comes reworked by HVL into driving avant-garde electro, showing Svanidze’s far-reaching influence.

Natela Svanidze (1926 - 2017) is an Honored Art Worker and one of the most distinguished Georgian composers, whose creations have not been explored and praised sufficiently to this day. Key period of the artist's comprehensive work coincided with Soviet times, resulting in a variety of impediments—both in creative and personal realms of her life.  The following issue aims to showcase Natela Svanidze's electronic music recorded in 1974 for her Georgian Lamentations oratorio, part 5. "Epitaphium". The groundbreaking for the time being, as it is based on electronic music, developed into four dynamic waves, with rhythmic whispering of the choirs chanting "eternity". Several aspects make this part exceptional: this is the first electronic music piece in Georgian music, composed by a female composer, and simultaneously recorded on Synthi-100, a popular synthesizer (invented by P. Zinoviev and imported to Moscow from England in the early 1970s) at the time. This very synthesizer was used by E. Artemiev, V. Martinov and I. Bogdanov, as well as famous movie soundtracks, including Stalker by A. Tarkovsky, Sibierade by A. Konchalovsky, A Few Days from the Life of I.I. Oblomov by N. Mikhalkov and many more. 

This unique recording from 1974 has never been released and can be extremely precious and valuable especialy to modular synth comunity and generaly to all music lovers.  Natela's release has been treated with care and it comes supported by 3 young and extremely talented Georgian music producers: HVL; Tamo Nasidze and Mess_Montage.  a 1 Epitaphium (Live Performance) feat. Archil Ushveridze, Nikoloz Rachveli, Georgian National Choir & Georgian Philharmonic Orchestr