Pianist Svetlana Navasardyan Performs in Concert on Campus

Natalie Agazarian
Editor

With a measured breath, the tender, yet commanding touch of the Armenian pianist Svetlana Navasardyan sent the Fresno State Concert Hall into a resonance of flourishing melodies. For the next two hours, the audience was swept into a colorful realm of intonation, phrasing, and texture. With her strong presence and masterful precision, Navasardyan didn’t simply play – she performed.

The Philip Lorenz Keyboard Concert Series, the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program, the Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation, and the Armenian General Benevolent Union Greater Fresno Chapter co-sponsored Navasardyan’s performance at the Fresno State Concert Hall on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Navasardyan is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and has performed in international festivals and major concert halls throughout the world.

Born in Alaverdi, Armenia, Navasardyan’s musical and academic influence from both her mother and her father supplemented her exceptional career and musical pursuit.

“My memory of my parents carries me into 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,” said Navasardyan, while reflecting on her musical journey.

The program began with Haydn’s Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI: 35 (Allegro con brio, Adagio, and Finale: Allegro), immediately developing a sense of play between the clarity and complexity within the score and revealing Navasardyan’s nuanced and imaginative approach.

This style is embraced in the following selection, Brahms’ Eight Piano Pieces, Op. 76 (Capriccio in F-sharp minor, Capriccio in B minor, Intermezzo in A-flat major, Intermezzo in B-flat major, Capriccio in C-sharp minor, Intermezzo in A major, Intermezzo in A minor, and Capriccio in C major), as the music gradually expands from a soft to tense dialogue. Even in the rhythmic and unpredictable phrases of Chopin’s array, Navasardyan maintained her refined style, playing effortlessly and gracefully throughout the melancholy, yet joyful tunes. Continuing to blend folk traditions with classicism, Navasardyan introduced Komitas’ “Seven Dances” in a raw, reflective, and celebratory manner, delving into her cultural roots and maintaining a sensitivity to that.

Not only did the artist present a wide-ranging selection of repertoire, but she thoughtfully organized her set in chronological order, guiding the audience on a journey through time as well as sound.

Beginning with the classicism of the 18th century, moving into the expressive and romantic styles of the 19th century, and finally transitioning to the relative modernism of the early 20th century, each piece served as a snippet of the cultures integrated within each respective era.

Most notable of her performances were the conversations between the sound and the silence, transcending the scores beyond its notations and into an arena of artistry.

The beauty remained in the contemplation of her scores – how the audience was left not only hearing, but listening, remembering, and desiring each note. This impression certainly moved the Fresno community, as Navasardyan concluded her set with two encores.

Navasardyan’s profound knowledge and interpretation of scores has rendered her many honors and awards, including People’s Artist of the Armenian SSR, the St. Mesrop-St. Sahak Medal bestowed by Catholicos Garegin II in 2015, and the Order of Honor of the Republic of Armenian in 2016.

As the final note of the afternoon faded into silence, what lingered was the echo and endurance of human spirit, and the overwhelming emotions of witnessing a timeless craft.