Sinofonia Toronto’s Series Presents Ani Batikian 12/11
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by BWW News Desk
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
http://toronto.broadwayw orld.com/article/Sinofonia_Torontos_Series_Present s_Ani_Batikian_1211_20091111