Generally considered the greatest Georgian composer of all time, Giya Kancheli (1935-2019) was born in Tbilisi and was drawn to both 20th century modernism and big-band jazz. He composed numerous film scores as well as concert works, including seven symphonies. His music did not explicitly draw on Georgian folk tradition but incorporated elements of polyphonic folk singing, often contrasting meditative passages with explosive violence. Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he moved west to Belgium, but died in the city where he was born.