‘ARMENIAN RHAPSODY’ WORLD PREMIERE AT FRESNO PHILHARMONIC
By Donald Munro

Fresno Bee
March 4 2010
CA

Don Reinhold, the Fresno Philharmonic’s general director, describes
this weekend’s concert as an "Event with a capital E." That’s true,
he says, anytime an orchestra and chorus tackles Beethoven’s monumental
9th Symphony.

But that isn’t all. The concert also features the world premiere of a
piece titled "Armenian Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra" commissioned
by an anonymous patron. We caught up with local composer George Warren,
a former Bee classical music critic and the creator of a 2004 piece
for the Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary, to ask him about the premiere.

Question: How did the commission come about?

At the premiere of my cello sonata in 2008, a member of the audience
asked me if I was available for a new commission. A couple of months
later, Theodore Kuchar told me it was time for a new work for the
Philharmonic, and I merged the two.

Were there stipulations?

The assignment specifically called for the use of the word "Kharpert"
in the title or a subtitle. Kharpert is a town and region in old
Armenia and one of the epicenters of the genocide in the early 20th
century. Also, the commissioner asked for anonymity and pleaded that
I include some consonance in the music. I believe the statement went:
"You do remember what ‘tonal’ means, don’t you?" There was no limit
pertaining to the instruments, size, etc.

What kind of research did you do?

I listened to a lot of Armenian folk and sacred music and researched
the seminal Armenian composer Komitas. The plan developed into a
narrative concerning recognition of the tragedy, remembrance of a
place lost, and a celebration of the success of the survivors of
genocide and their descendents.

How much background does a listener need?

While the Rhapsody will be heard by Armenians as a work that includes
their music, it will be equally enjoyable for everyone else. If
you don’t read the program notes, or you know nothing of Armenian
culture and history, it is still a piece of music, and as such, it
stands on its own. This is a very important distinction; in the end,
a composition should not rely on an outside element to make it work.

The listener will find the old and the new, tonal and atonal,
renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary, upon
close listening. And the piano part should dazzle the mind as well
as the ears.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress