On Friday, April 8, 2022, celebrated Armenian American sisters Ani (cello) and Marta (piano) Aznavoorian will release their debut duo album, Gems from Armenia, on Cedille Records. The Chicago-based Aznavoorian Duo celebrates the sounds of their ancestral homeland through a panoramic survey of Armenian classical music, including works by composers Komitas Vartabed, Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, and Avet Terterian; contemporary Armenian composers Serouj Kradjian, Alexander Arutiunian, and Vache Sharafyan; and the world premiere recording of a new piece by Peter Boyer. The duo will perform a recital featuring works from the album on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 3:00pm at Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston.
The Aznavoorian Duo comments, “The idea for this CD sprung out of gratitude to the proud and soulful people of Armenia and our homage to the historical challenges they have overcome and continue to engage with.” In the liner notes, Gary Peter Rejebian writes, “Gems from Armenia voices a range of opposing emotions across three periods of time: some ringing clear in their own right, others but a whisper of other peaks and valleys in the Armenian story.”
The album opens with five ancient folk songs arranged by early 20th-century Orthodox priest, composer, and musicologist Komitas Vardapet. Rejebian says, “Komitas strove not merely to capture melodic tunes, but to evoke the very life and heartache of the people who passed down poetic lyrics in song over centuries as he documented them for the ages.”
He continues “Soviet-era composers Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, Avet Terterian, and Alexander Arutiunian collectively represent a musical renaissance for the Armenians; a period of greatness analogous to the first millennium ‘Golden Age’ of the Armenian kingdom… Khachaturian’s glorious ode to his hometown (Yerevan) and Babajanian’s tribute to Khachaturian, his mentor (Elegy), speak with impassioned fondness in very different voices. Terterian’s Sonata, first performed in 1956, precedes the symphonies and stage works for which he is best known… As a snapshot of his lively style inspired by memorable folk melodies, Alexander Arutiunian composed his Impromptu in 1948.”
A third era, of contemporary music, is embodied by Serouj Kradjian, Vache Sharafyan, and Peter Boyer. Rejebian shares, “Lebanese-born pianist and composer Kradjian arranged Sari Siroun Yar (Beautiful Mountain Girl) as a faithful retelling of the troubadour Ashod’s ballad about a mountaineer pining for his beautiful village love… Sharafyan composed his Petrified Dance through multiple iterations of string-piano combinations for Harutyun Khachatryan’s documentary about Armenian street artist Vahan Ananyan.”
“Boyer composed Mount Ararat for the Aznavoorian Duo specially for this project as a reflection of how Armenia’s biblical heritage resonated with a composer from a completely different background,” Rejebian writes.
Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are Armenian American siblings renowned for their passion, artistry, and energy. The Los Angeles Times describes Ani as a cellist “who shows great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments” while The Boston Globe praises Marta as a pianist of “exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse.”
Ani Aznavoorian, 15-year principal cello of Camerata Pacifica, is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the country’s most recognized ensembles and has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Marta Aznavoorian has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator, and has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. She is a founding member of the Lincoln Trio and has a vast discography.
The Aznavoorian Duo has toured France, Armenia, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented numerous programs in their hometown of Chicago. They have individually worked with leading contemporary composers including John Harbison, Clarice Assad, Lera Auerbach, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Shulamit Ran, Peter Boyer, Augusta Read Thomas, and Stacy Garrop, among others. Separately, the Aznavoorians have recorded for the Warner Classics, Cedille, ARTEC, and Erato labels.
Ani proudly performs on a cello made in Chicago by her father, Peter Aznavoorian. Marta is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at www.aniaznavoorian.com and www.martaaznavoorian.com.
1. Komitas Vartabed (1869-1935) – Chinar Es [2:47]
2. Komitas – Tsirani Tsar [3:13]
3. Komitas – Garoun A* [4:01]
4. Komitas – Al Ailux [1:23]
5. Komitas – Krunk [3:49]
6. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) (arr. Antti Hakkarainen) – Ivan Sings [1:41]
7. Khachaturian – Yerevan [3:04]
8. Arno Babajanian (1921-1983) – Elegy* [4:16]
Babajanian – Aria & Dance (5:33)
9. Aria [3:52]
10. Dance [1:40]
Avet Terterian (1929-1994) – Sonata for cello and piano
11. I. Andante [9:19]
12 II. Adagio [6:08]
13 III. Presto [5:06]
14. Serouj Kradjian (b. 1973) – Sari Siroun Yar [4:52]
15. Alexander Arutiunian (1920-2012) – Impromptu [4:25]
16. Vache Sharafyan (b. 1966) – Petrified Dance [5:15]
17. Peter Boyer (b. 1970) – Mount Ararat** [9:31]
Total Time: 75:41
* Solo Piano
** World Premiere Recording
CDR 90000 209
Producer: James Ginsburg
Recording Engineer: Bill Maylone
Recorded August 11-13, 2021 Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago