Opening Concert – From Armenia with Love

Vag Papian conductor and piano
Tiran Nicogosyan conductor
Irina Zakyan soprano

Aleksandr Arutyunyan: Festive Overture (7′)

Arno Babajanyan: Heroic Ballade for piano and orchestra (24′)

Armenian songs (liturgic, rural and urban). (20′)

Khachaturyan: Excerpts from the ballets “Spartacus” and “Gayane” (20′)

Tickets online

“From Armenia with Love,” the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra’s season-opening concert, offers a journey through Armenian musical culture – from village, church and folk song to the concert hall and the great symphonic works of the 20th century. At the heart of the program are three of the most distinctive voices in Armenian music: Aram Khachaturian, whose exhilarating ballet Spartacus has become a cornerstone of the symphonic repertoire; Arno Babajanian, whose Heroic Ballade for piano and orchestra combines virtuosity, lyricism and an unmistakably Armenian musical character; and Alexander Arutiunian, whose Festive Overture will open the evening. Alongside these works, Armenian songs from the sacred, rural and urban traditions will be heard – living sources from which the musical language of Armenia’s composers largely grew.

The performers themselves bring a direct and living connection to this culture: conductor and pianist Vag Papian, conductor and violinist Tiran Nikoghosyan, and soprano Irina Zakyan. Two of the artists are based in Israel, adding a further personal dimension to this encounter between Armenia and Israel. This is a concert devoted entirely to Armenian culture, yet one that reveals its many faces: music old and new, sacred and secular, folk and symphonic, intimate and powerful – a colorful and festive opening night bringing together a living tradition and some of the most beloved and spectacular works Armenia has given to the concert stage.