Alexander Arutiunian - Violin & Piano Concertos; Sinfonietta (Various Artists)

Information

Composer: Alexander Arutiunian

• Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
• Sinfonietta
• Concertino for Piano and Orchestra

Ilya Grubert, violin

Narine Arutiunian, piano

Moscow Chamber Orchestra

Constantine Orbelian, conductor

Date: 1997

Label: Chandos

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Alexander Arutiunian (23 September 1920 – 28 March 2012), was a Soviet and Armenian composer. He graduated from the Music Conservatory of Yerevan, and studied composition with Genrikh Litinsky in Moscow. After graduation he became a professor at Yerevan State Conservatory, and in 1954 was appointed artistic director of the Armenian State Philharmony. As a composer, Arutiunian won acclaim at home and abroad for his works, many of which are quickened by the folk traditions of Armenian music. He was recognized with many awards, including a Stalin Prize (1949) and People's Artist of the USSR (1970).

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Ilya Grubert (born 13 May 1954 in Riga) studied violin with Yuri Yankelevich, Zinaida Gilels, and later Leonid Kogan at the Moscow Conservatory. He gained international recognition after success at the 1975 Sibelius Competition, followed by first prizes at the Paganini Competition and the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978. Grubert has since enjoyed a distinguished international career, performing with leading orchestras worldwide and collaborating with renowned conductors. He has toured extensively, recorded major repertoire, and now resides in the Netherlands, where he teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

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Constantine Orbelian (born 27 August 1956) is an American conductor and pianist of Ukrainian and Armenian heritage. A prodigy, he made his his orchestral debut with the San Francisco Symphony at age 11 and later studied piano and conducting at Juilliard. He served as Music Director of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra from 1991 to 2010 and led major artistic initiatives across Russia and Eastern Europe. A four-time Grammy-nominated artist, Orbelian has held prominent leadership roles in Armenia, Lithuania, the United States and Israel, and is widely regarded for bridging Eastern and Western musical traditions.

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