Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Yervand Boyajyan
Staff Writer
Music is a medium through which thoughts and feelings can be communicated without a single word being spoken. On Friday evening, September 27, 2019, the Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Series and the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program organized a concert by a talented pianist, Sofya Melikyan, and gave us another reason to believe that music is more than notes on a page. Melikyan’s concert was part of the “Young Armenian Talent” series of the Keyboard Concerts.
The audience waited patiently but anxiously as Melikyan walked across the concert floor and prepared to begin what would be a magnificent performance of classical and modern works. She began with one of my personal favorite pieces, Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 by Frederic Chopin. Chopin is known for his mysterious yet beautiful compositions. Usually one can expect a lot of surprises within his pieces that might sound awkward or wrong but do not be fooled, it’s just what he does.
As Sofya Melikyan began calmly striking the keys, the piece was slowly beginning to speak. Less than a few moments into the piece, a sense of relaxation and relief immediately took over the hall. But of course, halfway through the piece, the tempo picked up and minor chords, which by nature are dark and mysterious, began dominating the piece creating a sense of discomfort giving it its true Chopin touch. The ending of the piece brought the audience back into this state of relaxation ending with beautiful, and in a way, satisfying chords. She did a wonderful job encapsulating the true essence of a Chopin composition.
After thunderous applause, Melikyan followed with Federico Mompou’s Variations on a Theme of Chopin. A “Variations” piece summarizes up the main melodies of a composer and presents them in an altered form that is totally up to the new composer. Mompou did this with his take on Chopin’s main melodies.
As before, Melikyan stunned the audience with her virtuosic playing once again. It was clear that the music was demanding, but that is where her experience comes in.
Sofya Melikyan began playing piano at a young age in Yerevan, Armenia. She attended the Tchaikovsky Special School of Yerevan and later trained at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid and numerous other conservatories. Melikyan is world-renowned, having performed in over ten different countries. She has also won numerous prestigious awards at international piano competitions and toured with some of the best ensembles in the world. There is no doubt that she is one of the premiere performers in the world.
Melikyan concluded the first half of the concert with another one of Chopin’s masterpieces, the Fantaise-Impromptu in C-Sharp minor, Op. 66.
Following the intermission, while the audience returned to their seats, Melikyan thanked everyone for attending the concert and expressed her gratitude in having the opportunity to perform in such a wonderful hall.
Melikyan began the second half of the concert with a piece called Five Dances by Komitas. Komitas is the founder of the Armenian National School of Music and wrote many melodies that are still performed today in different variations. Melikyan’s performance of Komitas’ work spoke differently to the Armenian people in the audience. Most people connect differently with music that is more familiar. Komitas’ melodies are incorporated heavily in Armenian culture and I think that is why it felt different. Melikyan’s expressive playing really made it worthwhile, especially after she performed Armenian Bas-Reliefs by Geghuni Chitchyan. Chitchyan’s work borrowed many themes and melodies from Komitas, which was no surprise and provided a proper end to the fantastic and long-awaited performance by Sofya Melikyan.
Melikyan really made the music speak to each and every member in the audience, and I think this is the power that only music possesses.