Video Information

• Choir: Singing Safari (scratch choir)
• Piece: Mravalžamier (Republic of Georgia)
• Conductor:  Chris Rowbury
• Voices:  SAB
• Genres: Traditional
• “Mravalžamier” is the name of a large number of rural and urban table songs from the Republic of Georgia. It means Many happy returns. May God give you long life. Literally: years and epochs of happiness to you. They are sung at feasts or supras as they a...  more“Mravalžamier” is the name of a large number of rural and urban table songs from the Republic of Georgia. It means Many happy returns. May God give you long life. Literally: years and epochs of happiness to you. They are sung at feasts or supras as they are called in Georgian, where participants wish one another health and a long life. This is an urban version. This type of song is sometimes labelled Kutaisian because the town of Kutaisi (in western Georgia) is considered the centre in western urban songs, which are based on European harmony.
  
  This concert was the culmination of a six-week project which creates a choir from scratch for one night only. Each winter and summer, Chris Rowbury gathers a random bunch of singers from in and around Ipswich. There are no auditions and all songs are taught and learnt by ear. Usually eight songs are learnt in six two-hour sessions and in the winter are performed at St. Peters by the Waterfront, Ipswich. http://chrisrowbury.com For the first time we were joined by the vocal ensemble Scunsulata who started this song off.  less