An artist par excellence, the great Armenian pianist Svetlana Navassardian is universally recognized as a “personality indisputable”, “a most fascinating pianist” who, as music critics have characterized her, “became a symbol of confrontation for anything that embodies the routine and predictability of modern pianism.
Many renowned musicians, including E. Gilels, A. Fisher, M. de La Bruchollerie, E. Ax, D. Lively, E. Virsaladze, E. Kissin enthusiastically responded about Svetlana’s piano performing art.
The recording of her performance of P. Hindemith’s “Ludus tonalis” was welcomed by Sviatoslav Richter, and R. Schumann’s “Davidsbundlertanze” in her triumphal concert in Salle Gaveau (Paris) was recognized by critics as “one of the best from anywhere heard”. Svetlana’s repertoire includes more than 60 concertos for the piano and orchestra, among them all the concertos of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven in line with a manifold of monographic programs. She is one of the rare pianists in the world performing all 27 Mozart’s concertos.
Svetlana Navassardian is a prize winner of the Schumann, Bach, Queen Elisabeth and Sydney international piano competitions.
A graduate from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Yakov Zak’s class), Svetlana is a frequent guest at the prestigious international festivals and major concert halls around the world – be it the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, the Opera House of Sydney, the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Brussels, the Salle Gaveau of Paris, the Gewandhaus of Leipzig, the Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires, the Asahi Hall of Tokyo, the Phoenix-Hall of Osaka, or the Nybrokajen of Stockholmand. Svetlana Navassardian has extensively toured internationally with recitals in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Japan, China, Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, and elsewhere. Svetlana frequently serves as a jury member for various well-known international piano competitions.
Svetlana Navassardian’s vibrant musical career is saturated with numerous collaborations with world famous soloists and conductors, among them E. Svetlanov, V. Gergiev, K. Etti, S. Keller, E. Lee, Ch. Warren-Green, E. Virsaladze, V. Spivakov, Y. Bashmet and others.
“S. Navassardian and her “flickering” world are at the piano…The most tender art of intonation, shining virtuosity, an outstanding splendor of multi color musical palette, relief of the texture filled with air…This is wonderful art, the magical secret of which is specific to the soul of a single being – an absolute inner freedom and sense of inspiring idea”. (“Musical Academy” magazine, I. Zolotova). Born in Alaverdi, in a family where music and arts were much revered. Her father, Hovhannes Navassardian, a historian of rare intelligence, was one of the pioneer architects of the public education system in Armenia. Svetlana’s mother, Hranush Petrossian – a professional of mathematics, combined her educational career with that of a classical singer. An enchanting lyric-dramatic soprano and extraordinary artistic personality had a decisive influence on Svetlana’s artistic accomplishments. “My memory of my parents carry me to the Alaverdi of my childhood – the place that gave my dreams their wings to fly and to which my parents remained committed all their lives”. (S. Navassardian)
Svetlana Navassardian was distinguished as a People’s Artist of the Armenian SSR and was awarded an Armenian SSR State Prize . In 2010 Svetlana Navassardian was awarded with St. Mesrop Mashtots Order, the Armenian highest governmental award. In 2015 she received yet another high award, St. Mesrop – St. Sahak Order, issued by Catholicos Garegin II, the chief bishop and spiritual leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In 2016 Svetlana Navassardian was awarded with The Order of Honor of the Republic of Armenia.
