LEXINGTON, Mass. —Grammy nominee composer Hayg Boyadjian’s composition, Variations on a theme by Bach for piano solo was recorded as part of the recently-released CD on the Navona label, “Sustain Vol. 3,” in Germany by virtuoso Armenian pianist Armen-Levon Manaseryan.
Born in Yerevan, Manaseryan lives in Bonn, Germany and studied for many years there.
The CD is now available on Amazon and other internet sites. The press has called the composition by Boyadjian, very delicate, unusual.
A critic and musicologist from the Colorado University wrote, “Keep in mind that this is a 21st century piece relying on the use of a Baroque period counterpoint. Boyadjian makes use of retrograde, inversion, variations of rhythmic figures, ornamentation, and canon. As the piece progresses, it begins to sound more and more familiar in spite of the avant-garde harmonies and enharmonic writing. It is truly an epiphany.”
Manaseryan earlier had performed the European premiere of the variations at the Steinway Hall in Frankfurt, Germany (place of the Steinway piano factory). The concert was sponsored by the Harvard Club of Germany.
Manaseryan performed the famous Beethoven 32 Variations on an original Theme for comparison with Boyadjian’s variations. He repeated the program in Brussels, Belgium. Manaseryan often performs Boyadjian’s piano music including pieces that Boyadjian has written and dedicated to him.
