Here are two versions of the same Georgian peasant song:

♪ Hamlet Gonashvili, "Orovela" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExkXJcx7RZ4

which is tender, almost floating in the air, and

♪ Ciuri Mchedlidze, "Orovela" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nT1iivP6Ms

which is far more dramatic and poignant.

Georgian folk music is famous for its elaborate polyphony but one shouldn't underrate the richness of interpretation that is essential in the performance and lends texture and complexity to the song.

(Hamlet Gonashvili was my first encounter with Georgian folk music. His style has a mesmerizing effect on me.)

!listening