Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Photo: Barlow Der Mugrdechian
TATEVIK HOVHANNISYAN – Staff Writer
It is a rare occasion when two talented virtuoso performers unite for a concert—the result was a great performance and a night of incredible melody.
Friday, March 7, 2014 was one of those moments, when a sold-out audience appreciated the performance with a standing ovation, not wanting to let the musicians go, and demanding not one, but two encores.
The Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts and the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State organized the concert that featured the exceptional pianists Sergei Babayan and his protégé Daniil Trifonov, as part of the 42nd Season of the Keyboard Concert Series.
The concert commenced with the performance of the “Sonata in D Major for four hands” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an uplifting and refreshing introduction for what lay in store for the remainder of the evening.
This sonata was written in three movements: Allegro con spirito, Andante and Allegro Molto.
It was one of Mozart’s few compositions for two pianos, composed in a galant style that interlocks melodies with simultaneous cadences.
“Fantasy in F Minor” by Franz Schubert, consisting of four parts: Allegro molto moderato, Largo, Scherzo and Finale, took the listeners to a world of reverie and love.
The sonata, composed in 1828, the last year of Schubert’s life, was dedicated to his student, Karoline Esterházy, with whom he was in love. The lyrical rhythms were played with great emotion.
A performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet Suite, Op. 64,” based on the composer’s 1935 ballet, opened the second half of the concert.
The introduction of this suite, which begins in forte then drops to pianissimo, has no thematic content and is intended to only create a dark and intense atmosphere.
Throughout the entire suite, the atmosphere remains consistent as it prepares for the approaching sadness and danger in the scene.
The audience, which included the recently appointed Fresno State President Joseph Castro and First Lady Mrs. Mary Castro, witnessed the focus and explosiveness of the artists, who were completely drawn into the compositions, feeling every note they performed.
The pleasant evening approached its end with the last composition of the program, “Suite No. 2, Op. 17” by Sergey Rachmaninoff, which was followed by a standing ovation and calls for an encore.
Babayan and Trifonov performed the Suite in complete harmony and cooperation, leaving the audience amazed and awed by their technique and professionalism.
Sergei Babayan started his piano journey at the age of six in the Republic of Armenia, continuing his studies in the Moscow Conservatory under Vera Gornostayeva and Mikhail Pletnev.
As the founder of the Sergey Babayan International Piano Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he has mentored many piano professionals who have been recognized at world-famous competitions.
By the age of 20, Trifonov had already won numerous prestigious awards, becoming the Distinguished Medalist of the International Chopin Piano Competition and being awarded the First Prize, Gold Medal, and Grand Prix at the 14th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
“The sold out crowd and most importantly the musicians were phenomenal. I have worked with the Armenian Studies Program for more than twenty years…these are the concerts I always look forward to,” said the Keyboard Concert Artistic Director Andreas Werz.
The Armenian Studies Program has co-sponsored many Keyboard Concert Series artists.
During the concert, Professor Der Mugrdechian was recognized for his work in bringing the virtuoso artists to Fresno State and providing classical music lovers the opportunity to hear the energetic artists.