YEREVAN — They are recognized internationally as an outstanding vocal group, and informally called cultural ambassadors of Armenia. The Little Singers of Armenia choir, founded in 1992 by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Tigran Hekekyan, has performed extensively in cities and countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, spreading knowledge of Armenian music to audiences of multifarious language groups and musical cultures. Their repertoire reflects their experience, as it embraces works spanning centuries and genres, from sacred music of the early Christian era through the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the classical, and beyond, to include jazz and contemporary music. And they sing in the original languages of the works.
Their next major appearance will be unique. On September 14, at 7 p.m., the Komitas Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan will host the Little Singers of Armenia Choir, led by Hekekyan, together with the renowned Swiss harpist Alexander Boldachev, pianist Marine Margaryan, and soloists Eva Karagyan and Suzanna Avetisyan. The concert is titled “An Evening of English Music.”
What is so unique about English music, one might ask. A glance at the program shows that it is the concept of the concert that is unique. It will open with works by Benjamin Britten, the central figure in English music in the 20th century: A Ceremony of Carols and Friday Afternoons. The second part of the program takes one back to the Renaissance, with works by William Byrd (1540-1623), a contemporary of Shakespeare, and Baroque composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695). It concludes with two pieces by a living composer John Rutter.
Thus, the Little Singers will be taking the audience on a journey through centuries of English music.
From England they will moves across continents, to ancient India. Just before the concluding pieces by Rutter, the Little Singers, accompanied on the harp by Boldachev, will perform two works by Gustav Holst, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda and Summer (from Two Eastern Pictures). The first is a collection of hymns from the ancient Sanskrit that the composer himself translated into English. The Rig Veda is one of four Vedas, the sacred texts of the Hindu religion, first transmitted orally, then written, and are considered the oldest texts in the Indo-Germanic language group. The four hymns to be performed at the concert are dedicated to natural elements and gods. Summer, again from classical Sanskrit literature, is based on a text by the poet Kalidasa.
The Story Behind the Collaboration
