Composer Hayg Boyadjian's New Cello Concerto

The concerto was premiered by cellist Aram Talalyan, conductor Ruben Asatryan, and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia

The Grammy Nominated composer's new work was premiered after a year’s delay due to the pandemic.

“My cello concerto is a fusion of several musical elements or ingredients," Hayg Boyadjian told The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. "They take root in my life’s cultural backgrounds: I am first of Armenia descent; French by place of birth; Argentinian by having lived my youth in Buenos Aires; and finally from age 22 having lived in the USA.

"There are, as one can see, two components to my person: eastern cultural and western cultural influences. These are transformed into a musical language that is uniquely my own.

“In my cello concerto, as it is in many of my compositions, many of the above elements are included to create a unique sound. The first movement includes a good number of passages in dance rhythm and short Armenian folk-like melodies. It is a movement full of excitement where the solo cello is always in a struggle with the orchestra but manages to hold the upper hand most of the time.

“The second movement, in contrast, is more subdued — the cello and the orchestra become a duo in conversation and the music to some degree becomes lyrical, again with some Armenia folk-like motives. The third and last movement is an agitated race between the different sections of the orchestra and the solo cello. There are almost no motives but a rush of notes giving the impression of an ocean with continuous crashing waves nonstop. By the end of the movement the waves have calmed down and the ocean is peaceful,” Boyadjian concluded.

HAYG BOYADJIAN | CELLO CONCERTO | ARAM TALALYAN | RUBEN ASATRYAN | ARMENIAN STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | MAY 2021