Aznavoorian Sisters perform Arutunian, Impromptu

The Aznavoorian Sisters, Ani and Marta, gave their first public performance at the ages of 4 and 8. Since then, they have toured France, Armenia, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented countless programs in their hometown of Chicago including a major fundraiser for the Armenian earthquake in 1988. They gave a residency at the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and highlights of their '24-25 season includes performances at the prestigious Ravinia Festival and multiple U.S. tours.
For more information, visit:
www.martaaznavoorian.com/the-aznavoorian-sisters
About the music:
Born in Yerevan, Alexander Arutunian was soon recognized as an accomplished pianist and composer, and subsequently, he studied at the Conservatory of Yerevan. Best known for his trumpet concerto, which he composed for the virtuoso Ukrainian trumpeter Timofei Alexandrovich Dokschitzer, Arutunian composed Impromptu-a snapshot of his lively style inspired by folk melodies-in 1948, the same year that his graduation piece for the Moscow Conservatory, a cantata titled Motherland, bested Shostakovich to win the USSR’s Stalin Prize. With the piano setting the rhythmic tone for the duet, the cello sings a sweet folk melody enlivened with vigorous spiccato bowing and staccato piano chords. In its middle section, the piece shifts to soulful lamentation echoed by grand piano chords and a moment of lyrical repose that launches into a galloping finish by both instruments.
This piece is featured on the Aznavoorian Sister's critically-acclaimed CD, "Gems from Armenia."