"The music of Arno Babadjanian has been the companion of my life and at the same time a dialogue with the Author, which has been emotionally enriching and transforming into a concept and an indivisible part of my worldview since the beginning of my career. The performance of his piano pieces is a process of self–identification and identification with the universal feelings, extremely passionate and touching."

– Hayk Melikyan

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One of the former Soviet Union’s leading composers and a member of the so–called Armenian ‘Mighty Handful’, Arno Babadjanian was admired by musicians of the stature of Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Rostropovich and David Oistrakh. He was also an outstanding pianist and a very considerable virtuoso. Babadjanian’s music explores his native Armenian folk tradition as well as elements of jazz and twelve–tone techniques.

Polyphonic Sonata (1942–47) (12:49)
1 I. Prelude (01:05)
2 II. Fugue (07:15)
3 III. Toccata (04:29)

Six Pictures (1965) (13:57)
4 No. 1. Improvisation (02:17)
5 No. 2. Folk Song (01:31)
6 No. 3. Little Toccata (01:52)
7 No. 4. Intermezzo (01:37)
8 No. 5. Chorale (03:59)
9 No. 6. Sassun Dance (02:41)

Melody and Humoresque (1973) (04:17)
10 Melody (02:32)
11 Humoresque (01:54)

Elegy (1978) (03:45)

Reflection (1973) (02:23)

Prelude (1947) (01:43)

Vagharshapat Dance (1947) (01:45)

Impromptu, "Exprompt" (1936) (02:49)

Capriccio (1951) (04:49)

Poem (1966) (06:39)

TOTAL TIME: 56:31

Hayk Melikyan made his international concert début at the Concerto di Concerti International Festival of twentieth–century music in Rome in 2000. Since winning Second Prize in the Premio Valentino Bucchi International Piano Competition of Twentieth Century and Contemporary Music in Rome in 2000 he has included contemporary music as a leading part of his concert programmes, in an active concert life that has taken him to performances throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. He is a laureate of many other competitions, such as the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music (Buffalo, USA, 2012), Samson François and André Boucourechliev Prizes at the Orléans International Piano Competition (France, 2008, 2012), First Prize at the Lazar Saryan Composers Competition (Yerevan, Armenia, 2008), Special Prize at the Ibla Grand Prize Piano Competition (Ragusa, Italy, 1999), among other distinctions. Hayk Melikyan was awarded a Gold Medal by the Moscow Composers Union for his contribution and promotion of contemporary music in 2012, and in 2013 was awarded the title of Honorary Artist of the Republic of Armenia. He has given premières of numerous works by contemporary composers and a number of pieces have been specially written for him.

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