Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983)
Complete Works for Piano
Polyphonic Sonata (1946, rev. 1956)
Six Pictures (1964)
Four Pieces (1942-1952)
Melody (1970)
Humoresque (1970)
Reflection (1969)
Poem (1966)
Sona Igityan (piano)
rec. 2024, Fazioli Concert Hall, Salice, Italy
Claves 50-3131 [51]
Arno Babadjanian has popped up here and there on recordings, but beyond his native Armenia is by no means a household name, and this is certainly my first encounter with his work. Babadjanian was a gifted musician from an early age, entering the conservatory in Yerevan at the age of seven. He studied further at the Moscow Conservatory, where he deepened his knowledge of Bach amongst others. He returned to Armenia in 1948 to take up a teaching position at the Yerevan Conservatory, and alongside orchestral works his compositional catalogue includes about twenty works for solo piano or two pianos, as well as his best-known work, the Piano Trio in F-sharp minor.
The Polyphonic Sonata is in three movements, with a compact but impressively energetic Prelude, followed by an extended central Fugue with dramatic dynamic contrasts and a combination of counterpoint and high-Romantic impact. The remarkable closing Toccata brings together two themes that pianist Sona Igityan points out are the same motive at different tempi, “culminating in a dazzling sonic explosion.” Considered one of Babadjanian’s most significant piano works, this goes as far beyond being a dry academic exercise as one can imagine, and it belongs in the repertoire at the same level as any of Shostakovich’s music in a similar vein.
The Six Pictures for Piano are considered significant in Armenian music in their blend of folk inspiration with serial and atonal music. There are echoes of Schoenberg in the abstraction and virtuosity of the opening Improvisation, and perhaps a hint of Hindemith in the intervals and harmonies of the following Folk Song, combining these with fascinating dotted folk rhythms. The excitingly syncopated energy of the Toccatina has been likened to “endless machines and bustling factories”, contrasting with more open textures in the Intermezzo, the dodecaphonic material of which still connects effectively with other movements. A dark Chorale takes us into a funereal mood, and the set is rounded off with a Sassoun Dance based on a traditional Armenian kochari, which is a round dance performed by groups of men. The constantly shifting time signatures in this piece give its irresistible bounce an effect of unpredictability in its extended returning patterns.
The Four Pieces belong together as a cycle but were written at different stages of Babadjanian’s life, the composer often performing them as a set in the order recorded here. Using Armenian dances as a basis, and in one case quoting a song by the Armenian priest and musicologist Father Komitas, these are by a long way the closest to folk music in effect in this programme. With soaring elegiac themes and a blend of Romantic idioms and traditional styles this is an attractive collection with just the right blend of pianistic virtuosity and sincere musical directness of expression.
This nicely compiled programme concludes with a sequence of more or less stand-alone pieces with varying character. The Melody is a nostalgic cantilena that pairs with the sprightly and jazz-tinted Humoresque. These pieces have a didactic quality in that they were written for his son Ara at his piano teacher’s request, but the Humoresque would certainly make an excellent encore for any recital. Reflection has an enigmatic quality, its meditative character splashed with angular atonality and dynamic extremes – more of a nightmare than a reverie.
Poem was composed for the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition, a compulsory piece to showcase the piano’s technical and expressive range. There are certainly technical fireworks here, but there are cantabile elements as well, creating a fine workout for any pianist but with plenty of musical substance.
This is an excellent programme that deserves a place in any good 20th century piano collection. Sona Igityan eats all of the virtuoso passages for breakfast, and the very fine recording captures every nuance of her playing and these fascinating works. I am delighted to have been introduced to Arno Babadjanian’s excellent music, and while the atonal aspects of his works might be initially demanding, his technique is of a refinement and conviction that makes you forget about conventional tonal cadences and has you gripped from start to finish.
Dominy Clements
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