One is in mysterious territory from the very first notes of Khachaturian Concerto-Rhapsody. This single-movement work, dating from 1963 and written for Rostropovich, positively drips with the intonation of the Armenia of the composer’ s ancestors- he was actually born in Georgia –though the anonymous notes for this new recording claim that it is in fact less Armenian in spirit than many of his other works. Whatever the case, it is one of those works that clearly has a dimension that relates to extra-European dimension folk traditions at some level, and this is certainly brought out by this powerful playing of Alexander Chaushian. Though it is not heard in concert with any great frequency, there are a number of other fine recordings of this work including more than one by its dedicatee. The couplings here are unique, however; indeed anyone with the slightest interest in twentieth -century music from this remarkable country should not hesitate to invest in this disc.
What the music of Suren Zakarian (b.1956) and Vache Sharafyan (b. 1966) have in common with that of Khachaturian, different though their musical languages are, is a powerful intensity. Zakaryan’s Monograph is a dark, brooding work built from the exploration of the interval of a second, and displaying a tremendously subtle handling of texture and colour. The title of Sharafyan’s for-movement Suite for cello and orchestra is perhaps misleading: it’s a substantial work that, while certainly evoking dance in the middle of two movements, is a long- breathed meditation on the passing of time, as the names of the first and last movements, “Mattinata” and “Postero die” (“the following day”), indicate. Its language is less abrasive than that of Zakarian, but it shares a brooding, mystical quality that suites the cello perfectly.
An arrangement of an arrangement closes this evocative collection. Sharafyan has taken a version of the old Armenian love song Krunk (Crane), made by the revered Komitas, and reworked it for the duduk, the national instrument, solo cello and piano. It’s hauntingly lovely, the perfect ending to this excellently performed and beautifully recorded anthology of rhapsodies.
Ivan Moody