Inspiring 37th Anniversary Concert of Musical Armenia Takes Place at Carnegie Hall

Amiryan is an award-winning composer and pianist whose works have been presented in Armenia, Russia, the United States, Japan and Israel, and throughout Europe. She has performed extensively, as well as presented lectures-recitals at international conferences and festivals in the United States and England. She has both B.A. and M.A. degrees in composition and musicology from Yerevan’s Komitas State Conservatory, and is a member of the Union of Composers of the Republic of Armenia.

Soprano Anna Hayrapetyan has performed in solo and ensemble concerts in Armenia, the United States, England, and South America. She has a B.A. from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (Australia), an M.A. degree from the University of Connecticut where she was invited as a professor-in-residence, and at Southern Connecticut State University. She has had lead roles in “Rigoletto,” “The Barber of Seville,” “Eugene Onegin,” and Tigranian’s “Anush.”

Following the intermission, cellist Laura Navasardian and pianist Lilit Navasardian took center stage, displaying their vibrant and top notch musical mastery. They played with great musicianship a difficult program by three world noted composers – Komitas, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

Both performers dressed in basic black brought to life Tsirani Tsar (Apricot Tree) by Komitas, a beloved agricultural folk tune, replicating national forms and rhythms. Infused with Armenian material, Komitas’ music is regarded by many as the foundation of Armenian music which “raised the standard of Western art music” not only in Armenia but internationally. And the Navasardians played with great feeling and superb vibrancy the charming song.

Brahms powerful Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99, is a powerful composition in four movements evoking strong emotions of bold turmoil pitted against lyrical, melodic lightness. Both artists played together with great understanding and synchronism, bring out the full strength of the work.

Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62, is another masterpiece originally composed for cello and orchestra, a sober piece dedicated to the composer’s dying friend. It was conducted by Tchaikovsky with the orchestra in a first performance in 1889 at a special concert of the Russian Musical Society. Again Laura Navasardian and Lilit Navasardian displayed their great musicianship, complimenting each other in this evocative work.

Greeted with a standing ovation , Laura and Limit Navasardian played an encore, Concerto Polonaise, Op. 14, a resonant concert work by David Popper, a Bohemian cellist and composer.

Laura Navasardian, a native New Yorker, started playing the cello at age 6. She was the first-prizewinner at the New York Music Competition, and winner of the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition in Salzburg, Austria, both in 2016, when she was only 12 years old. As a winner of the Kaufman Music Center Concerto Competition at Merkin Concert Hall, she performed a concerto with the Kaufman Music Center Orchestra in New York. She has also performed as a soloist with the Boston Pops at Boston’s Symphony Hall. A high school graduating senior, she will be studying at Juilliard in the fall.

Lilit Navasardian, born in Yerevan, studied at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, and at the Moscow Conservatory. Receiving a doctor’s degree from Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in piano teaching and performance, she is a laureate of the Busoni International Competition in Bolzano, Italy. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in Armenia, Russia, the United States, Canada, Italy and Lebanon. Her chamber music appearances include guest invitations with the Chamber Orchestras of San Francisco, St. Petersburg, and Yerevan.

Following the performances, the four artists came onto the stage, all receiving multiple flower bouquets, and a long standing and cheering ovation. Several audience members greeted the performers in the concert lobby taking photos and again congratulating them.

Involved in this worthy project were Musical Armenia Committee members  Julie Kedersha, Sophie Khachatryan, Annita Nerses, Varsenne Sarkissian and Levon Tatevossian.