Victor Dolidze

Victor Isidores dze Dolidze (Georgian: ვიქტორ ისიდორეს ძე დოლიძე, 30 July 1890 – 24 May 1933) was a Georgian classical composer.

Practically unknown in the West, in his home country Dolidze is best remembered for his opera Keto and Kote, which premiered in 1919 during the First Republic. The composition, which remains popular to this day, follows the story of forbidden love between an impoverished prince and a wealthy commoner's daughter.

Biography

Victor Dolidze was born on 30 July 1890 in the city of Ozurgeti, Kutais Governorate, in what is now Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire. He came from a poor peasant family.

In 1902 Dolidze's family moved to Tiflis, where entered a commercial school. In 1910, he won his first prize at a local mandolin contest.

Victor Dolidze died on 24 May 1933 in Tiflis and is buried at the Didube Pantheon.