“ALAN HOVHANESS” CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

This orchestral group was founded in 1984 by the teachers of Avet Gabrielian’s Musical School, hence called the Teachers Chamber Orchestra.

In 1995 Yerevan City Council gave this orchestra the status of state orchestra and since then it has been known as the Mayoral Chamber Orchestra of Yerevan City.

In 2002 the orchestra was renamed to “Alan Hovhaness” Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra is paying a special attention to avangard music. The name of the orchestra was after an American Armenian Composer, Alan Hovhaness, who has deeply studied the oriental music (China, India, Vietnam, Japan and Korea) and had greatly contributed into showing and teaching the oriental music to Europe and the West. 

The orchestra has more than 50 pieces of Armenian music in its repertoire and he was the first interpreter and performer the most of them.

The orchestra is one of the most active performing orchestras of Armenia. Performed with conductors: Igor Grab (Latvia), Nvard Andreassyan (France), pianists: Svetlana Navasardyan, Vahe Aharonian, Amalya Baibourdian, Zemfira Barseghian, Karine Ohanyan, Zaven Parsamyan (Spain), violonists: Edvard Tadevosian, Artashes Mkrtchyan, Gagik Smbatian, David Movsissian, Ruben Kosemian, Astghik Vardanian altist: Alexander Kosemyan, cellists: Medea Abrahamian, Felix Simonian, Vahe Hayrikian (USA), Paroir Shahazyzian, Michael Hakhnazaryan (Austria), organist: Arthur Adamian, cembalist: Aneli d’Mann (Holland) Konstantyn Khachaturian, fluitists: Armen Ghukassian, Tigran Gevorkian, Harry Starreveld (Holland), clarinetist: Slava Manoucharian, fagotist: Gagik Gaboyan, vocalist: Hasmik Hatsagortsian, bayanist: Ivan Shmolders (Belgium).

The orchestra was in concert tours in Georgia (1985,1987), Latvia (1989), took part in “Friendship Concerts” in Yerevan, where teachers and students from musical schools of Tbilisi, Baku, Rostov on Don, Riga and Tsesis have performed as soloists with the orchestra.

In 1998 the orchestra had a concert tour to UAE.  The orchestra was invited to participate in the International Festival “Bach 2000”, Germany. A special “Vent d’Est” was written to honor Bach by a composer Jacqueline Fontyn along with the Armenian composer Vahram Babayan (concert “The Hymn for the piano and orchestra”)  was performed for the first time. 

In 2001 the orchestra was invited to participate in Baroque Opera Festival in Seville (Spain). 

In 2003 they participated in Third International Musical Festival – Traditional and Sacred Music-Heritage of Humanity (Armenia).

In 2004 they had an active participation in “Spring Festival” organized by the Union of Armenian Composers.

In 2004 the orchestra participated in the concert dedicated to the 75^th  birthday celebration of Avet Terterian.

In 30^th November with the initiative of Ministry of Culture of Armenia was celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the orchestra and pianist Martin Berkofsky (USA) who was the good friend of Hovhaness performed with them.

 

MERUZHAN SIMONIAN

 

Meruzhan Simonian was born in 1947 in Yerevan. Mr. Simonian graduated from the Violin and Opera-Symphony conducting Departments of the Komitas State Conservatory. He is the Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the “Alan Hovhaness” Chamber Orchestra founded in 1984.

As a conductor, Meruzhan Simonian has performed in Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldavia, UAE, Germany. Within the framework of the “Bach-2000” Festival (Germany) Mr. Simonian released a CD with the recordings of his chamber orchestra.

In 1999 he fulfilled the opera performance of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and in 2000 Rossini’s “Il Barbier de Seviglia” opera. He also conducted concerts with Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Yerevan Youth Symphonic Orchestra and Yerevan Chamber Orchestra

Since 1995 he has been a lecturer in the department of Opera-Symphonic Conducting and a conducting lecturer at Chamber orchesra of the Komitas State Conservatory. 

Since 1978 Mr. Simonian appears in Republic and International  press.

He is the author of the book “The Story of the Big Fiery Butterfly” which served as a base for Eduard Hayrapetian’s Symphony No. 3 (The Big Fiery Butterfly). In 2001 the primiera of the symphony was performed by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra by conducting of Mr. Simonian.

 

 

 

REPERTOIRE

 

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1676-1741)

Le quatro stagioni

Concerto for 1, 2, 4 violins

Concerto for cello in a-moll

Sonata for cello No 5 e-moll

Madrigalesco

Violin concerto G-dur

Small symphony No 2, 3 G-dur

Concerto No 1 in D Major (RV 549)

Concerto No 4 in E minor (RV 550)

JOHANN SEBESTIAN BACH (1685-1750)

Violin Concerto No 1 in a-moll

Concerto for two violins in d-moll

Piano Concerto No 1 in d-moll

Piano Concerto No 5 in f-moll

Orchestra Suite No 2 in h-moll

The Brandenburg Concerto No 3

The Brandenburg Concerto No 5

HENRY PURCELL (1659-1695)

Suite from opera Didona and Enei

TOMASO ALBINONI (1671-1751)

Adagio

JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809)

Piano Concerto D-dur

Rondo

Cello concerto C-dur

Cello concerto D-dur

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, KV 525

Serenata Notturna, KV 239

Concerto for Violin No 3 G-dur

Concerto for Violin No 4 D-dur

Rondo for violin G-dur

Concerto-symphony for violin and viola

Concerto for piano No 8 C-dur

Concerto for piano No 9 Es-dur

Concerto for piano No 13 C-dur

Concerto for piano No 14 Es-dur

Concerto for piano No 20 d-moll

Concerto for piano No 23 A-dur

SHUBERT-MAHLER

Quartet No 6 The Daughter and death

EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934)

String Serenade e-moll op.20

IAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957)

Impromptus

PAUL HINDEMITH (1895-1963)

funf Stucke op.44

BIZET-SCHEDRIN

Carmen-Suite

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)

Chamber Symphony No 10 op.118a

SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981)

Adagio for string orchestra

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976)

Lachrymae for viola and chamber orchestra

Cantata Misericordium

 

JACQUELINE FONTYN (b.1930)

“Vent d’Est” concerto pour accordeon classique ou Bayan ou Knopfakkordeon et ensemble de 12 archest

“es ist ein Ozean…” Doppelkonzert fur Flot Cembalo und Streicher (Premiera, Germany)

VICTOR CARBAJO (b. 1970)

Suite from balette Antigona

 

ARMENIAN COMPOSERS

 

KOMITAS (1869-1935)

Armenian Miniatures (arranged by Aslamazian)

ALAN HOVHANESS (1911-2000)

Psalm and fugue op.40a

AVET TERTERIAN (1929-1994)

Quartet No 2 (Premiera)

GEGHUNI CHTCHIAN (b.1929)

Kamersymphony for memroy A. Khachaturian

TIGRAN MANSURIAN (b.1935)

“…And them i nas in time again…“ for viola and kamerorchestra

MARTOUN ISRAELIAN (b.1938)

Sonet

“Rhythmus” Sancti Thomas Aquinatis (Premiera)

4 songs by Metsarenz for soprano and chamber orchestra (Premiera)

concerto for cello and chamber orchestra

EDUARD SADOIAN (b. 1938)

Concerto for flute and chamber orchestra (Premiera)

EMMA MIHRANIAN (1940-1991)

Symphony for chamber orchestra

SIMON HOVHANNISIAN (b. 1940)

Symphonieta

RUSLAN GALSTIAN (b. 1941)

Adajio (Premiera)

NOUBAR ASLANYAN (b. 1943)

Concertino for Trompet in B Flat and string orchestra

YURI HAROUTYUNIAN (b. 1944)

“Autumn” for soprano and chamber orchestra

MICHAEL COCJAEFF (b.1945)

Four Karabagh Songs (Premiera)

To Victims

Stone Garden (Premiera)

Moonlighting (Premiera)

ASHOT ZOHRABIAN (b. 1945)

Concert-Elegia

Lux fulgebit (Premiera)

RUBEN SARGSYAN (b. 1945)

“Cogitation” for Violoncello and String orchestra

“All That Remained” for String orchestra and Harpsichord (Premiera)

Elegia

STEPAN SOUKIASSIAN (b. 1946)

Pastorale (Premiera)

Memory (Premiera)

HRACHYA MELIKIAN (b. 1947)

Concert for violin and chamber orchestra

DAVIT SAKOIAN (b.1947)

Ouverture of “Christ” opera

Elegia No 2 for flute and chamber orchestra (Premiera)

SOUREN ZAKARIAN (b. 1947)

“Post Scriptum” (Premiera)

ARAM SATYAN (b. 1947)

Games

VAHRAM BABAYAN (b. 1948)

Requiem (Premiera)

“Hymne” fur Klavier und Straichorchestra (Premiera, Germany)

Poliphonie der Stein von Friedhelmlaach (Premiera)

EDUARD HAYRAPETYAN (b. 1949)

Concerto for Cello No 2

Alto concert No 1 (Premiera)

Concerto for Fagotto

Dubbleconcert for Violin and Viola (Premiera)

ERVAND ERKANYAN (b. 1951)

Concerto for Violin No 2

Symphoniet No 2 (Premiera)

ARMEN SMBATYAN (b. 1954)

Manuscript

VARDAN ACHEMIAN (b. 1956)

Poem-Fantasy for flute (Premiera)

NARINE ZARIFIAN (b. 1958)

Scerzo for guitare and chamber orchestra “A la retro”

ANNA GARSOIAN (b. 1961)

Thoughts (Premiera)

ASHOT GHAZARIAN (b. 1961)

Music for 20 strings (Premiera)

VACHE SHARAFIAN (b. 1966)

Poem for chamber orchestra

 

Alan Hovhaness Chamber Orchestra

Meruzhan Simonian

Artistic Director and Conductor

 

Violin 1

Marina Kotelevskaya

Gevorg Nahapetyan

Kristina Simonyan

Anzhela Najaryan

Arsen Murazyan

Violin 2

Spartak Petrosyan

Ruzanna Torosyan

Violeta Manukyan

Tereza Nacharyan

Alto

Vahe Broutyan

Anna Esayanc

Seda Odabashyan

Cello

Narek Avagyan

Garnik Engibaryan

Contrabass

Vilen Karapetyan

Cembalo

Tatevik Esayanc

 

 

 

ALAN HOVHANESS

 

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

 

 

 

MANAGER

“MANANA” PUBLIC BENEFICIAL ORGANIZATION

President: ALEXAN ZAKYAN

 

Tel/Fax + 374 1 39 54 67

Mobile  +374 9 33 36 84

E-mail: mananapbo@netsys.am