SINFONIA TORONTO’S SERIES PRESENTS ANI BATIKIAN 12/11

Broadway World
ofonia_Torontos_Series_Presents_Ani_Batikian_1211_ 20091111
Nov 11 2009

Sinfonia Toronto is pleased to present Armenian violinist Ani Batikian
in her Canadian debut on Friday, December 11. The repertoire: PUCCINI:
Three Minuets; HOVHANESS: Violin Concerto; KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade
Suite; STRAUSS: Die Fledermaus; BARTOK: Rumanian Dances.

Hovhaness wrote his Violin Concerto in seven short movements. The
titles of the movements are self-descriptive: a Pastoral, two
movements titled Aria, a Hymn, a Recitative and Lullaby, a Presto
and an Allegro. Throughout the piece the solo violin soars over a
variety of complex accompaniments in which Hovhaness uses a variety
of compositional techniques such as free polyphony, polyrhythm and
polymelody, occasionally even using these techniques simultaneously in
two different layers of the score. He obtains a great range of tonal
colours as well, with imaginative use of special string techniques
like pizzicato and tremolo.

The concerto was given its Canadian premiere in 2002 by Sinfonia
Toronto with violinist Jasper Wood and Nurhan Arman conducting. CBC
Radio 2 broadcast the performance; one movement can be heard at

American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was an idiosyncratic
musical pioneer who sought a musical reconciliation between East and
West, spiritual and mundane, long before it was fashionable to do so.

Born near Boston to an Armenian father and a mother of Scottish
ancestry, his upbringing was "all-American". As a boy he composed
in secret. "My family thought composing was abnormal, so they would
confiscate my music if they caught me in the act." Jean Sibelius was
an early mentor from whom Hovhaness acquired his love of long lyrical
melodies. The composer’s exposure to Armenian culture was around 1940
when he became organist at an Armenian church in Boston. From that
point forward, he composed works with Armenian titles or subject
matter. In the 1950s Hovhaness’ style became more Westernized, but
some Armenian and also Indian influences remained prominent, such
as his pioneering use of Indian cyclic rhythm concepts. Following
extended visits to India, Korea and Japan from1959 to 1962, Hovhaness
incorporated Indo-Oriental idioms throughout the 1960s. From the
1970s, Hovhaness remained very prolific, reaching around Opus 450
by the time of his death. His output comprises music in almost every
conceivable genre, from large-scale oratorios, operas and symphonies
down to piano sonatas and solo works for Oriental instruments.

Armenian violinist Ani Batikian entered the State Conservatory in
Yerevan, Armenia at the age of 15, the youngest student ever to study
there and supported by a local scholarship. At the age of 19 she
received her undergraduate degree and at the age of 20 a postgraduate
diploma with honours. Her charismatic personality and artistry go
hand in hand with her violin, making her performance impressive and
unforgettable. Ani displays boldness in her choice of repertoire,
which ranges from baroque to contemporary.

For more information, please visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress