1993_10 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper October 1993

              4—A&E
Hve Sharzhoom
October 1993
Music: Valley Armenian Concerts
A series of musical events in
Fresno and Visalia with Armenian
artists involved the Armenian Studies Program either directly or by
association. Featured in a 15 minute
concert during the Armenians Studies Program 8th Annual Banquet
was the very talented pianist Naira
Shahsuvarian. Shahsuvarian has
been in the Fresno community for
less than a year, leaving Yerevan to
join her husband Andre.
Shahsuvarian was born and
raised in Yerevan, Armenia. As a
child prodigy, she gave her first
public concerts on Armenian television at the age of six. After
completing her early musical education at the Tchaikovsky School,
she continued her studies at the
Komitas State Conservatory of
Music from 1983-1988. She stayed
on at the conservatory doing post
graduate work until 1992 when she
came to the United States and
Fresno. She is currently offering
private music lessons in Fresno.
She is part ofthe brilliant school of
Armenian artist prepared by the
Komitas Conservatory.
On her program was Arno
Babajanian's Elegy, which she
played with delicate feeling, and
Frederic Chopin's beautiful Impromptu Fantasia. Shahsuvarian
displayed an extraordinary mastery
of the Impromptu with a luxuriously melodic interpretation. Her
technique is impeccable and her
poise before the piano added to the
dramatic quality of her playing.
She received a grand ovation.
Less than a week later on September 17, Sergei Babayan, presented the first concert in this year's
Philip Lofenz Keyboard Concerts
in the newly remodeled Wahlberg
Recital Hall. Babayan, who now
lives between Cleveland (where he
won the Casadesus Piano competition some years ago) and New York,
has appeared twice with the Fresno
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Babayan is also a product ofthe
Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan.
In fact Babayan and Shahsuvarian
were in the same class and are close
friends. After Yerevan he went on
to Moscow and from there began
winning a series of international
piano competition.
A pianist of almost unbelievable technique, Babayan offered a
concert of Beethoven, Schumann,
Liszt, Chopin, Ravel, and Mozart
as an encore. Like others of the
former Soviet school, the interpretation of Chopin is as skilled as it is
brilliant. Among several high
points in the concert was a most
delicate and unorthodox rendering
of Ravel's Gaspar de la Nuit. The
audience was under a spell of each
note clearly and sensuously executed. Babayan's concert was co-
sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program.
Finally, on October 3 in Visalia,
former CSUF student and later
Julliard graduate, Harold Hagopian,
Naira Shahsuvarian
premiered Alan Hovannes's second concerto for piano and orchestra. It was the first concert of the
fall season by the Tulare Symphony
Orchestra under the direction of
David Andre, a most skilled and
sympatique conductor. Hovannes
and his wife were present for the
special concert.
The concerto was commissioned
by the Tulare Symphony through
the dauntless work of Harold
Hagopian. It was written for Mr.
Hagopian, who has been heard as
soloist with symphony and with his
own string quartet in Fresno two
years ago. The young musician
while at Fresno State was active in
the Armenian Studies Program and
with Hye Sharzhoom, where he
submitted a provocative article on
Komitas Vardapet in the Spring
1983 issue. His father, the world
famous oudist Richard Hagopian,
was an artist in residence at CSUF
under a National Endowment for
the Arts folk artist grant.
Hovannes tailored his new work
to accommodate Mr. Hagopian,
highly expert in western violin techniques, but at the same time a master of the improvisatory Armenian
folk music. The work was divided
into three parts played continuously.
Much of the music was based on
ancient Armenian modes, especially the flowing violin part, more
forcefully written than the orchestral accompaniment. Hagopian's
execution was truly grand. He displayed the unwavering perfection-,
ism he is noted for, but with such
Arm, Prelate From Iran Visits CSUF
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian
Special to Hye Sharzhoom
Archbishop Goriun Babian, the
Prelate of the Armenian Dioceses
of New Julfa in Iran and India,
presented a lecture, entitled "The
Armenians in Iran," to students of
the Armenian Studies Program,
Oct. 4. The Archbishop explained
the good and at times delicate relations he maintains with the Islamic
Republic of Iran as well as his
friendship with the Ayatollahs.
The community of New Julfa,
established after the forced migration of the Armenians of Julfa on
the Arax in 1604-5, is thriving today. The walled city, a suburb of
the ancient Iranian capital Isfahan,
houses one ofthe richest Armenian
museums in the world. Ambassadors, diplomats, presidents, and
prime ministers come to New Julfa
as part of their visit to Iran's second
and most beautiful city. Much of
the clergyman's time is taken up
showing world dignitaries around
this island of Christian Armenians
in Islamic Iran. Today, the town is
thriving with 12,000 Armenians,
8,000 of whom live in New Julfa
proper. More than half of the 24
Armenian churches since the 17th
century are still standing and beautifully preserved. The New Julfa
Cathedral is one of the most exquisite churches in the world with
frescoes, tiles, and paintings from
floor to ceiling.
Archbishop Babian is also a
scholar of some renown. After
finishing his theological degree at
the Seminary of the Cilician
Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon, he went on to spend five years
at Oxford University, where he received his doctorate in Armenian
and Religious Studies.	
Archbishop Goriun Babian, Prelate of New Julfa, Iran answers
question posed by Armenian Studies student Cathy Shatafian
while Dr. Dickran Kouymjian observes.
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Sergei Babayan
great feeling and soul. His first
movement cadenza was a tour the
force of western double stops and
oriental fiddling skill.
The soloist, the composer and
the conductor received a sustained
standing ovation. After the Sunday
afterrlpon concert there was a reception and later in the evening a
buffet for the principals ofthe day
at the home of Hagopian's parents,
Geri and Richard. Late in the night
Richard Hagopian was persuaded
to get out his oud and with his son,
who abandoned his violin for the
kanoun, played a beautiful series of
Armenian songs, joined later by
Harold's brother Kay on the
dumbeg. Hovannes was delighted,
having, he confessed once played
the oud himself as a young man.
New
Armenian
Art Book
Hits Market
The Arts of Armenia is the
title of the most recent book by
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, who
holds the Haig & Isabel Berberian
Endowed Chair in Armenian
Studies at California State University, Fresno.
More than a decade in preparation, the volume was commissioned and published by the
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
of Lisbon, Portugal as a handbook in the arts to be used by
teachers and in Armenian schools
and colleges.
Because the Gulbenkian
Foundation wished to produce a
guide in simple yet intelligent
language, the text explains terms
as they are introduced and always assumes that the reader is
new to art history and to Armenian art. An extensive bibliography provides resources for a more
profound study of any ofthe different domains of Armenian art.
The entire project was completed with the dedicated work
of Zaven Yegavian, Director of
the Department of Armenian
Affairs ofthe Gulbenkian Foundation, and before him by the late
Vahram Mavian. The Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation will be
distributing the volume with its
300 slides to Armenian schools
throughout the world.