Sinofonia Toronto's Series Presents Ani Batikian 12/11

Sinfonia Toronto is pleased to present Armenian violinist Ani Batikian in her Canadian debut on Friday, December 11. The repertoire: PUCCINI: Three Minuets; HOVHANESS: Violin Concerto; KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade Suite; STRAUSS: Die Fledermaus; BARTOK: Rumanian Dances.
Hovhaness wrote his Violin Concerto in seven short movements. The titles of the movements are self-descriptive: a Pastoral, two movements titled Aria, a Hymn, a Recitative and Lullaby, a Presto and an Allegro. Throughout the piece the solo violin soars over a variety of complex accompaniments in which Hovhaness uses a variety of compositional techniques such as free polyphony, polyrhythm and polymelody, occasionally even using these techniques simultaneously in two different layers of the score. He obtains a great range of tonal colours as well, with imaginative use of special string techniques like pizzicato and tremolo.

The concerto was given its Canadian premiere in 2002 by Sinfonia Toronto with violinist Jasper Wood and Nurhan Arman conducting. CBC Radio 2 broadcast the performance; one movement can be heard at http://www.jasperwood.net/

American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was an idiosyncratic musical pioneer who sought a musical reconciliation between East and West, spiritual and mundane, long before it was fashionable to do so. Born near Boston to an Armenian father and a mother of Scottish ancestry, his upbringing was "all-American". As a boy he composed in secret. "My family thought composing was abnormal, so they would confiscate my music if they caught me in the act." Jean Sibelius was an early mentor from whom Hovhaness acquired his love of long lyrical melodies. The composer's exposure to Armenian culture was around 1940 when he became organist at an Armenian church in Boston. From that point forward, he composed works with Armenian titles or subject matter. In the 1950s Hovhaness' style became more Westernized, but some Armenian and also Indian influences remained prominent, such as his pioneering use of Indian cyclic rhythm concepts. Following extended visits to India, Korea and Japan from1959 to 1962, Hovhaness incorporated Indo-Oriental idioms throughout the 1960s. From the 1970s, Hovhaness remained very prolific, reaching around Opus 450 by the time of his death. His output comprises music in almost every conceivable genre, from large-scale oratorios, operas and symphonies down to piano sonatas and solo works for Oriental instruments.

Armenian violinist Ani Batikian entered the State Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia at the age of 15, the youngest student ever to study there and supported by a local scholarship. At the age of 19 she received her undergraduate degree and at the age of 20 a postgraduate diploma with honours. Her charismatic personality and artistry go hand in hand with her violin, making her performance impressive and unforgettable. Ani displays boldness in her choice of repertoire, which ranges from baroque to contemporary.

For more information, please visit www.sinfoniatoronto.com.

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