SARKIS BARKHUDARIAN (1887–1973)

FOUR ORIENTAL DANCES
TWELVE ARMENIAN DANCES
PIANO PIECES, SERIES 1 AND 2

Mikael Ayrapetyan

“Armenia is famous for its ancient history and cultural traditions that permeate the country's wealth of music. With its depth of expression, lyricism and authentic reflection of national traits, Armenian music retains a special place in the world's artistic heritage.

My 'Secrets of Armenia' international music project is the country's leading authority on Armenian classical music. It leads the way in a pioneering development and appreciation of forgotten, yet uniquely significant pieces of Armenia's classical tradition. Art should not remain in oblivion.” – Mikael Ayrapetyan

Listen to an excerpt from Lullaby of Shushani
BARKHUDARIAN, S.: Oriental Dances / 12 Armenian Dances / Piano Pieces, Series 1 and 2
GP775
Sarkis Vasil’evich Barkhudarian
SARKIS BARKHUDARIAN
(1887–1973)

About this Recording

The Armenian and Georgian Composer Sarkis Vasil’evich Barkhudarian is famed for his piano miniatures. Some are among the first piano works to use Armenian folk themes as the basis for a series of original compositions. His colourful and unusual harmonies, created by the sinuous, interweaving modes of Armenian music, are immediately attractive and his miniatures, whether full of grace or pungent dance rhythms, bear out Glazunov’s admiration of his ‘sincerity, elegance and harmony of form’.

FOUR ORIENTAL DANCES (1910–13) (09:31)
1
Oriental Dance No. 1 (02:59)
2
Oriental Dance No. 2 (01:47)
3
Oriental Dance No. 3 (02:50)
4
Oriental Dance No. 4 (01:48)
TWELVE ARMENIAN DANCES (1943) (22:50)
5
No. 1. Dance of the Bride (01:45)
6
No. 2. Children’s Dance (01:05)
7
No. 3. Dance of the Matchmaker (01:48)
8
No. 4. Dance of the Rural Girls (01:43)
9
No. 5. Provocative Dance (Men’s) (01:33)
10
No. 6. Maiden’s Roundelay (01:20)
11
No. 7. Dance of Friendship (Men’s) (02:21)
12
No. 8. Dance of a Mountain Girl (02:05)
13
No. 9. Dance of Farewell (Women’s) (02:14)
14
No. 10. Masker’s Dance (Men’s) (02:17)
15
No. 11. Circular Dance (Joint) (02:27)
16
No. 12. Festive Dance (Men’s) (01:43)
WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDINGS

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 73:51

PIANO PIECES, SERIES 1 (1910–1918) (19:00)
17
No. 1. Naz-Par (02:29)
18
No. 2. Fairy Tale (03:18)
19
No. 3. Sketch in B minor (01:43)
20
No. 4. Watercolour (01:05)
21
No. 5. Smooth Dance (01:33)
22
No. 6. Lullaby (01:57)
23
No. 7. Maiden Dance (01:45)
24
No. 8. Boots-Dragonfly (00:41)
25
No. 9. Dance in A flat major (01:32)
26
No. 10. Sketch in D minor (02:30)
PIANO PIECES, SERIES 2 (1915–1923) (22:17)
27
No. 1. Scherzo (03:01)
28
No. 2. Circular Dance in B minor (02:51)
29
No. 3. Gulnara’s Dance (01:06)
30
No. 4. Nanochka’s Dance (01:16)
31
No. 5. Anoush’s Sorrow (02:13)
32
No. 6. Prelude in D minor (00:54)
33
No. 7. Prelude in D sharp minor (01:01)
34
No. 8. Nocturne (04:08)
35
No. 9. Sketch in A major (02:43)
36
No. 10. Lullaby of Shushani (02:41)
Mikael Ayrapetyan

Mikael Ayrapetyan

Mikael Ayrapetyan was born in 1984 in Yerevan, Armenia, where he had his early schooling. His repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the contemporary and includes rarely performed works of Armenian composers. He is actively engaged in the popularisation of Armenian classical music, organising concerts in the major concert halls of the world, and acting as producer, artistic director and pianist for these performances.

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