Vladimir Arkadyevich Kandelaki |

Vladimir Kandelaki

In 1928, after graduating from the Tbilisi Conservatory, Kandelaki continued his studies at the Moscow Central College of Theater Arts (now RATI-GITIS). As a second-year student, the future artist came to audition for the head of the Musical Theater Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and became his favorite student.

“A real actor should be able to play both Shakespeare and vaudeville,” said Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Vladimir Kandelaki is a brilliant example of such universal craftsmanship. He created dozens of roles of various roles – from operetta comedians to the frightening tragic figure of the old man Boris Timofeevich in Shostakovich’s Katerina Izmailova, staged in 1934 by Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Kandelaki virtuously performed classics such as the parts of Don Alfonso in Mozart’s “That’s How Everyone Do It” and was the first performer of the main roles in many popular operas by Soviet composers: Storozhev (“Into the Storm” by Khrennikov), Magar (“Virineya” by Slonimsky), Sako (“Keto and Kote “Dolidze), Sultanbek (“Arshin mal alan” Gadzhibekov).

During the Great Patriotic War, Kandelaki performed as part of the front-line brigades of the Musical Theatre. Together with a group of artists, he witnessed the first victorious salute over the liberated Eagle. In 1943, Kandelaki began directing, becoming one of the country’s leading musical directors. His first production was Pericola at the Paliashvili Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Tbilisi.

The premiere of Dolidze’s comic opera “Keto and Kote”, staged by Kandelaki at the Musical Theater in 1950, became an event in the theatrical life of Moscow. From 1954 to 1964 he was the chief director of the Moscow Operetta Theatre. This was the heyday of the theatre. Kandelaki collaborated with Dunayevsky and Milyutin, managed to attract the masters of Soviet music to the operetta – Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Khrennikov, became the first director of the operettas Moscow, Cheryomushki, Spring Sings, One Hundred Devils and One Girl. He brilliantly performed on the stage of the Moscow Operetta Theater in the roles of Cesare in The Kiss of Chanita and Professor Kupriyanov in the play Spring Sings. And in his native Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, he superbly staged the operettas Pericola, The Beautiful Elena, Dona Zhuanita, The Gypsy Baron, The Beggar Student.

Kandelaki staged in the theaters of Alma-Ata, Tashkent, Dnepropetrovsk, Petrozavodsk, Khabarovsk, Kharkov, Krasnodar, Saransk. He also worked successfully on the stage. In 1933, a young artist with a group of his comrades in the Musical Theater organized a vocal ensemble – voice jazz, or “Jazz-goal”.

Vladimir Kandelaki acted in films a lot. Among the films with his participation are “Generation of Winners”, where he played the Bolshevik Niko, “A Guy from Our City” (tanker Vano Guliashvili), “Swallow” (underground worker Yakimidi). In the film “26 Baku Commissars” he played one of the central roles – the white officer Alania.

During the heyday of Kandelaki’s theatrical creativity, there was no concept of “pop star” in everyday life. He was simply a popular artist.

Yaroslav Sedov