Arutiunian Violin

Alexander Arutiunian was born on 2 September 1920 in Yerevan, where he received his education (he later completed his training under Genrikh Litinsky in Moscow in the period 1946–48). During the fifty years of his composing career Arutiunian has written a large number of instrumental concertos, rhapsodies, poems for piano, violin and cello, flute, oboe, female voice and orchestra, and also the first Armenian concertos for brass instruments: the trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba. As a result of his interest in brass instruments, he wrote his Armenian Sketches quintet that became a repertory piece. His vocal and orchestral works has strengthened the international acclaim accorded to him. Arutiunian holds titles including Professor of Composition of the Conservatoire of Yerevan, People’s Artist of 1 ashug: a Caucasian folk singer and poet.

Here are four works for trumpet and orchestra all from the pre-Perestroika USSR.
The Arutyunian is a singularly attractive work dating from 1950. It is brilliant (as you would expect), languorously suggestive of warm summer nights in the Caucasus and, in places, a hair's breadth from Gershwin's blues. Those of you who may have heard the violin concerto this is a much more attractive work given a strapping performance and vivid recording. The big theme struts like a toreador.

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. …

One is inclined to speak of “soulmates” after hearing Simon Höfele and Elisabeth Brauss play as a duo and after getting to know them both personally. It is like two people connecting with one another in music and in conversation when they either know each other very well or have forged a special bond for some other reason. The latter is sure to be true – this album is their first joint recording venture, and they have not been working together for very long either.