WIESBADEN, Germany — Music lovers in Wiesbaden greeted the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra with enthusiastic applause on November 27, when the renowned ensemble performed the tenth in a series of 15 concerts, on a whirlwind tour through the Federal Republic. Under the baton of conductor Sergey Smbatyan, the orchestra performed a short piece by Alexander Artunian, followed by two works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky for piano and orchestra, with virtuoso Olga Scheps at the keyboard.
Beginning on November 16 in Göppingen, the musicians played in large cities like Mannheim, Dortmund, Nuremberg, Cologne, and Essen, as well as smaller cities, Kempton, Erkelenz, and Vilbel. Their programs were varied, as were the soloists; in addition to Olga Scheps, pianist Vladimir Aćimović performed in some concerts; Darius Preuss on the violin and Raphaela Gromes on the cello were two further soloists. Accordingly, some concerts featured a violin concerto by Aram Khachaturian, or a cello concerto by Edward Elgar. In all the concerts, Tchaikovsky concertos and symphonies were featured, with cello, violin, or piano. It was an ambitious project!
In Wiesbaden, their program began with Tonakan naxergank (Festive Overture for Symphony Orchestra) by Alexander Artunian, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Piano concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23. After the intermission, the orchestra presented Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.1 in G minor, Op. 13, Winter Daydreams.
The concert hall was transformed into “a venue for musical magic,” as a preview put it. And soloist Scheps confirmed it in her performance of the well-known and extremely moving piano concerto. Tchaikovsky’s symphony, which concluded the program, developed the magical quality of the Winter Daydreams, portrayed through musical images that combine the wintry atmosphere with romantic harmonies. The audience responded with thunderous applause, which led conductor Smbatyan to offer as an encore, a Khachaturyan waltz. His playful mode of conducting this, at times allowing the musicians to play without direction, brought rapturous applause again from the grateful Wiesbaden music lovers.
Musicians as Performers and Educators
The orchestra, conductor Smbatyan, and pianist Scheps are world-class musicians. The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra was created by Smbatyan, who is currently artistic director and principal conductor. Committed to the idea of the unifying power of music, Smbatyan founded the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (SYOA), at the age of 18. That ensemble, which performed in prominent international festivals, was the precursor to today’s symphony orchestra. Those who joined the ASSO were young and talented musicians united by a commitment to enhance cultural awareness in Armenia and share the uplifting power of classical music, with a vast and varied repertoire. The orchestra performs more than 50 concerts a year, in cooperation with a large number of world class artists. It has played in major concert halls in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, The Hague, Brussels, Hamburg, and Madrid. In 2020, the orchestra toured Europe with violin virtuoso and Artist-in-Residence Maxim Vengerov, with outstanding performances hosted on renowned stages.
