Makar Ekmalyan 170: an organ festival concert in Yerevan

As part of the fourth Vahagn Stamboltsyan International Organ Festival, the Komitas Chamber Music House gives a concert on 7 November for the 170th anniversary of Makar Ekmalyan. Eight organists take the bench in turn: Anna Bakunts, Harutyun Tagvoryan, Tereza Voskanyan, Armen Aghajanyan, Lusine Harutyunyan, Anna Arustamyan, Hovhannes Manukyan and Arpine Harutyunyan, joined by the soprano Rita Petrosyan.

The programme

From Ekmalyan's liturgy: the Lord's Prayer (Hayr Mer), the Sanctus (Surb, Surb), I Kuys I Vimen, Amen, Holy is the Father, We Are Filled with Thy Goodness in Stamboltsyan's arrangement, the Easter hymn, O Deep Mystery (Khorhurd Khorin), Lord, Have Mercy and Horjam in Arno Babajanyan's arrangement. Around them, organ works by Armenian composers: four preludes from Grigor Arakelyan's Mashtots cycle, Lusine Grigoryan's Supplication on words by Komitas, Vache Sharafyan's Afterglow, hymns of Grigor Narekatsi set by Yervand Yerkanyan, Mikhail Kokzhayev's Simple Melody, a prelude by Tigran Hambaryan, two chorales by Hovhannes Manukyan, the anonymous You Are Like an Incense Tree and Babajanyan's Vocalise, in Arpine Harutyunyan's organ transcriptions. One hears rather a lot of Armenian organ writing in one evening, which is the point.

Date and tickets

Saturday 7 November at 19:00, at 1 Isahakyan Street. Tickets cost 3,000 to 5,000 drams, on EventHub. The concert is for audiences aged 6 and over. The same festival has Guy Bovet's recital on 24 October, and the same hall gives Pergolesi's Stabat Mater on 29 October.