Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov - Caucasian Sketches Suite No. 2; Turkish Fragments (Loris Tjeknavorian)

Information

Composer: Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

• (01) Jubilee March, Op. 67
• (02-05) Caucasian Sketches, suite No. 2, Op. 42 "Iveriya"
• (06) Mtsïri, Op. 54
• (07) Armenian Rhapsody on National Themes, Op. 48
• (08) I Wonder If It is Misfortune (from opera "Assya")
• (09) Turkish March, Op. 55
• (10-13) Turkish Fragments, Op. 62

Hasmik Hatsagortsyan, soprano (6)

Varduhi Khachatryan, mezzo-soprano (8)

Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra

Loris Tjeknavorian, conductor

Date: 2001

Label: ASV

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Review

Collections of Ippolitov Ivanov's music have appeared before on Marco Polo and Naxos but this new AS&V issue has a good variety of the unknown alongside the rare. We begin with a spirited performance of the "Jubilee March', a characterful account by Tjeknavorian and his Armenian players followed by a energetic presentation of the second Caucasian Sketches Suite. The Introduction is given weighty resonance by the Armenian strings and Tjeknavorian finds just the right amount of panache and bombast not to make the Georgian March sound too plainly rhetorical. By far the most interesting item on disc is the unknown, "Mtsiri', a sort of rhapsodic ballade with a solo soprano part. Hasmik Hatsagortsian is a persuasive advocate of the piece and the mystical colours of the music are well portrayed by orchestra and conductor. Another short vocal item, "I Wonder if it is Misfortune' has Vardouhi Khachatrian in the solo mezzo part and she is also well attuned to the native music. Tjeknavorian rounds off with brisk and authoritative accounts of the now famous Turkish March and Turkish Fragments, the latter's "During the Rest' is quite magical here. At almost 78 minutes, no one can complain of being short changed and the music, if not of top-drawer quality, is enjoyable and melodious. All Russophiles should snap this up without delay.

-- Gerald Fenech © 2001, Classical Net

Another review on Classical Net:

http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/a/asv01102a.php

and an unfavorable (and, imo, unjustified) one from ClassicsToday

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-6080/

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Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (19 November [O.S. 7 November] 1859 – 28 January 1935) was a Russian composer, conductor and teacher. He studied composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1875-1882 with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, whose influence was to remain strong. Ippolitov-Ivanov's works, which is rarely heard today, include operas, orchestral music, chamber music and a large number of songs. His style is similar to that of his teacher. As well as original works, he completed Modest Mussorgsky's opera The Marriage. As a teacher, Ippolitov-Ivanov's pupils included Reinhold Glière and Sergei Vasilenko

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Ippolitov-Ivanov

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Loris Tjeknavorian (born 13 October 1937) is an Iranian Armenian composer and conductor. He is one of the most celebrated cultural figures in Armenia and Iran. As one of the leading conductors of his generation, he has led international orchestras throughout the world and made some 100 recordings with RCA, Philips, EMI, ASV, and others. As a composer Tjeknavorian has written 6 operas, 5 symphonies, choral works, chamber music, ballet music, piano and vocal works, concerti for piano, violin, guitar, cello and pipa (Chinese lute), as well as music for documentary and feature films.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loris_Tjeknavorian

http://www.loristjeknavorian.com/

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