Alexander Chaushian Armenian Rhapsody

Recorded in the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, this disc offers an opportunity to sample music by Armenian composers, here represented by three works for cello and orchestra, and is in a way a follow-up to the 2011 release [BIS-1948] which was also devoted to concertante works for cello by Armenian composers. The programme opens with Aram Khachaturian, whose 1946 concerto, which contains many Armenian and Georgian folkloric allusions and rhythmic dances like those of the Ashoug, has been described as being closer to a symphony with cello than to a concerto. The second work, Arno Babajanian’s Cello Concerto, is permeated by specific intonation rooted in Armenian folk music and folklore. The disc concludes with the cello concerto by the French composer of Armenian origin, Michel Petrossian, a work from 2022 entitled 8.4, an allusion to the book of Genesis, chapter 8, verse 4, where Mount Ararat is first mentioned. The work glorifies the symbolic and spiritual aspect of Ararat, the ‘sacred mountain’, and integrates Armenian and Byzantine liturgical chants.

Most listeners are likely familiar with the significant contributions to the cello sonata repertoire made by Russian giants Sergey Rachmaninov and Dmitry Shostakovich. Far less well-known, however, is the Cello Sonata of Alexander Borodin. As his primary occupation was that of a scientist and not a musician, many of his works went uncompleted at his death; the Cello Sonata was no exception. For this recording by cellist Alexander Chaushian and pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, a 1982 completion by Mikhail Goldstein is used.

Khachaturian trio was founded as trio “Arsika” in 1999. It has toured extensively throughout the USA, Central and South America, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, China, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Australia, Moldova, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Armenia. …

The listener wishing to get acquainted with Astor Piazzolla's tangos has many options to choose from: the composer's own recordings, adaptations for classical ensembles, and various more arcane versions. This release features a young Armenian group of classically trained musicians, but the performances don't quite fit under the classical umbrella. Instead they offer a way of playing tango music that would have been familiar three-quarters of a century ago, but isn't heard much these days: you might call it sentimental salon tango…

These two performances derive from a concert given at the 16th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival, Cyprus, in 2016. The performers involved clearly play together regularly, certainly at Pharos, apart from their impressive individual credentials. Some, like Yevgeny Sudbin and Alexander Chausian, have well established partnerships on record.

A precocious pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov was able to add to a post-nationalist synthesis in Russian music, combining national inspiration with sound compositional technique. His Fantasy The Sea is programmatic, a homage to Wagner, and the Oriental Rhapsody follows an even more detailed and exotic narrative scheme.

Great composers of Armenia are reunited under this great CD to capture the essence their country! Great choice and great result! A must have for any people who love Armenia and is beautyful music!