Giya Kancheli
Wolf Prize Laureate in Music 2008/9
Giya Kancheli
Award citation:
“Giya Kancheli is one of the world’s greatest contemporary composers, whose unique music is infused with unforgettable beauty”.
Prize share:
Giya Kancheli
Claudio Abbado
His remarkable symphonies alternate between surrealistic serenity and an almost violent outburst of intensity. Kancheli´s music expresses the full range of human emotions, from deep religiosity to effusive passion, and from optimism to pessimism. His music connects between an aura of mysticism and realistic depictions.
Through his music, of immense depths, Kancheli has become a source of worldwide influence, most especially on the younger generation of composers.