A Symphonic Flop for Georgia?

The New York Philharmonic’s administrative maestro is raging with anger and officials from the country of Georgia are advised to stay clear. With less than a month to go before showtime, the Georgian government, citing financial difficulties, has backed out of a tentative deal with the world-class orchestra on holding concerts in Tbilisi and the seaside resort town of Batumi.

“I don’t feel embarrassed by this, I am angry,” fumed Zarin Mehta, the orchestra's president and chief executive officer, to The New York Times. He said that calling off the performances in Tbilisi and Batumi came as a major financial and organizational setback to the Philharmonic.   

Georgian culture ministry officials offered as excuses the lack of a signed contract and financial constraints -- Manana Muskhelishvili, international programs director at the Georgian Ministry of Culture, said that the 2-million-lari-plus (over $1.1 million) sum the Philharmonic allegedly expected to be paid for logistics "is beyond our capabilities."

“The orchestra requested two charter flights, one would carry the instruments and the other would bring the orchestra members . . . " Muskhelishvili said. "They also insisted on having not Georgian, but international stage and lighting technicians and equipment . . ."

Such reasoning failed to assuage Mehta. “I’m apoplectic, and so is my board,” he told The New York Times, calling the Georgian government “irresponsible and totally unprofessional.”

The cancellation, conceivably, could have less than positive results for Georgia's reputation as a site for international-caliber musical performances -- a reputation that President Mikheil Saakashvili's government has worked hard to burnish.

“I am still shocked and struggling to grasp what has happened,” sighed Lisa Batiashvili, a New York Philharmonic violinist of Georgian origin, who floated the idea of the orchestra performing in Georgia. “This was a dream of my childhood… I did everything to make this happen and… I do not understand what caused cancellation of the visit at the last minute.”