BOSTON — Serouj Kradjian and his band, with guest star Samvel Yervinyan, enthralled a full house at the Huntington Theatre on Sunday, September 13, in an event organized by the Hye Cultural Alliance.
Aside from Armenians, there were Russians as well as people from various other backgrounds that evening.
Kradjian, a Grammy-nominated two-time Juno Award-winning pianist, delighted in fusing classical music, such as the works of Johann Sebastian Bach or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with disparate contemporary music and genres from the Middle East or Latin America, while often maintaining a strong, pulsating beat. Yervinyan, famous through his many years of performing with the Greek composer and pianist Yanni (Yiannis Chryssomallis), presented a virtuoso performance.
Kradjian spoke in both Armenian and English, and although the pieces he performed drew from various musical heritages, at the heart of the evening were a number of well-known Armenian songs like Groong [Crane] and other compositions by Gomidas. He presented a number of his own compositions, including one called Gorusd yev Baikar [Loss and Struggle], which he wrote during the 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, when his friend from Toronto died as a volunteer.
During his remarks in between numbers, Kradjian said that while Armenians may differ in their ways of thinking and politics, it is our culture and unique music which unite us and we should nourish it so it continues to live on perpetually.
The performers in the band that night included Haig Ashod Beylerian on guitar, Ardashes Sinanyan on the drums, and Ani Sinanyan on the violin (and singing Tsaghkats Baleni [Blossomed Cherry Tree], composed by Khachatur Avetisyan). The audience also was encouraged to participate by clapping and even singing along during a few songs.
