In the famous bardic song there are words: two lives are not given, two happiness is an empty idea. You have to choose one of the two. Zurab Sotkilava was fond of football, and they predicted a great future for him. However, fate decreed otherwise.
Childhood and youth
It often happens that relatives and friends do not share the hobbies of a young man. Zurab Lavrentievich Sotkilava was born on March 12, 1937 in an intelligent family. Parents lived in the famous city of Sukhumi. My father taught history in one of the city schools. The mother worked as a radiologist in a hospital. There were no professional athletes or artists among close relatives. The boy grew up inquisitive and energetic. In those years, boys in all corners of the Soviet Union were fond of football.
The growing up Zurab was no exception. They bought him a soccer ball at a preschool age. And when it was time to go to school, he began to study in the football section with a great desire. At the same time, the grandmother enrolled the little football player in a music school. The fact is that my mother and grandmother played the guitar and sang Georgian folk songs and romances very well. Zurab very often sat down next to him and sang along. He sang along and did not see any serious consequences for himself and those around him. He unambiguously linked his future only with football.
Creative activity
A multi-talented person does not always manage to make his own choice in life. In his youth, Sotkilava shone on the football field. At the age of sixteen he was admitted to the Sukhumi Dynamo. Three years later, Zurab headed the Georgian youth team, and the team won the USSR championship among youth teams. To the great regret of fans and coaches, in 1959 Sotkilava ended his sports career. The reason for this forced decision was a severe injury to the ankle joint.
It is important to note that the young man did not become depressed. Zurab entered the Tbilisi Philharmonic and, with his characteristic persistence, began to study vocals. Teachers discovered that he had a rare timbre voice - a lyric and dramatic tenor. As a fourth year student, Sotkilava took part in the competition of musicians and performers of the Transcaucasus and won first place. After graduating from the Conservatory, he completed a two-year internship at the famous Italian Teatro alla Scala for two years. Zurab Sotkilava performed not only on the stage of his native theater, but also toured a lot abroad.
Recognition and privacy
The performer of operatic roles served for many years in the troupe of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. For his great contribution to the development of national culture, he was awarded the honorary title "People's Artist of the USSR". The opera singer was awarded the highest orders of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia.
The singer's personal life has developed well. Zurab Sotkilava spent his entire adult life in marriage with Eliso Turmanidze. The husband and wife raised and raised two daughters. Zurab Lavrentievich loved to spend his free time with his grandson and granddaughter. The great singer passed away in September 2017 after a serious long illness.
