The Return Raffi Besalyan

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3
• 1 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 2. Prelude in C-Sharp Minor 03:51
• 10 Preludes, Op. 23
• 2 No. 5 in G Minor: Alla marcia 03:52
• 3 No. 6 in E-Flat Major: Andante 03:11
• 4 No. 7 in C Minor: Allegro 02:54
• 13 Preludes, Op. 32
• 5 No. 5 in G Major: Moderato 03:07
• 6 No. 10 in B Minor: Lento 04:41
• 7 No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor: Allegro 02:43
• Etudes-tableaux, Op. 33
• 8 Etudes-tableaux, Op. 33: No. 6 in E-Flat Minor: Non allegro 01:48
• Etudes-tableaux, Op. 39
• 9 No. 1 in C Minor: Allegro agitato 03:36
• 10 No. 5 in E-Flat Minor: Appassionato 05:04
• 11 No. 6 in A Minor: Allegro 03:03
• Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42
• 12 Theme: Andante 00:57
• 13 Variation 1: Poco piu mosso 00:39
• 14 Variation 2: L'istesso tempo 00:32
• 15 Variation 3: Tempo di menuetto 00:38
• 16 Variation 4: Andante 01:00
• 17 Variation 5: Allegro (ma non tanto) 00:22
• 18 Variation 6: L'istesso tempo 00:24
• 19 Variation 7: Vivace 00:27
• 20 Variation 8: Adagio misterioso 00:58
• 21 Variation 9: Un poco piu mosso 00:57
• 22 Variation 10: Allegro scherzando 00:39
• 23 Variation 11: Allegro vivace 00:25
• 24 Variation 12: L'istesso tempo 00:35
• 25 Variation 13: Agitato 00:32
• 26 Intermezzo 01:19
• 27 Variation 14: Andante (come prima) 00:58
• 28 Variation 15: L'istesso tempo 01:18
• 29 Variation 16: Allegro vivace 00:30
• 30 Variation 17: Meno mosso 01:05
• 31 Variation 18: Allegro con brio 00:36
• 32 Variation 19: Piu mosso, Agitato 00:32
• 33 Variation 20: Piu mosso 00:58
• 34 Coda: Andante 01:31
• Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983): Prelude
• 35 Prelude 01:47
• Melody and Humoresque
• 36 Melody and Humoresque: Melody 02:10
• 37 Elegy 03:31
• Vagarshapat Dance
• 38 Vagarshapat Dance 02:14
• Total Runtime 01:05:24

Info for The Return

Thoughts of home dominate much of the music Raffi Besalyan performs here. Rachmaninoff’s "B-Minor Prelude" was inspired by The Return, a painting by Arnold Böcklin, and although it was written before his emigration the work was a constant companion in his exile, a favorite for his own recitals and a reminder of his years in Russia. Similarly, the folk-inspired piano music of Arno Babajanian recalls a distant homeland. Based in Moscow for much of his adult life, Babajanian looked back to his native Armenia in music that mixed the folk idioms of his people with the virtuosic pianism of the Russian school. And now Besalyan, an Armenian pianist based in the United States, brings their music together in a program infused with warm memories, evocations of far off places, and reminders of earlier times.

Both Rachmaninoff and Chopin can be heard as influences in the music of Arno Babajanian. His studies in Moscow from 1938 exposed the Armenian composer to a wide range of styles, and the greater political freedom of the Khrushchev period when he began his professional career in the 1950s allowed him to explore many of these ideas in his works. The "Piano Trio in F# Minor", written in 1952, established his credentials as a composer of concert music, but he was also well-known for his cinema work, and particularly for the title song he wrote for the film Song of the First Love released in 1958. The four works presented here demonstrate how Babajanian was able to incorporate aspects of Armenian musical identity into the Russian piano idioms he had become acquainted with through his studies in Moscow. The line of inheritance from Chopin via Rachmaninoff is evident in the “Prelude”. The slow movements of Rachmaninoff’s concertos are reflected in the “Melody” that follows. “Elegy” was written towards the end of Babajanian’s life in 1978, composed in memory of fellow Armenian composer, Aram Khachaturian. The final work in the program, “Vagharshapat Dance,” is an early composition dating from 1947. It is one of Babjanian’s most popular works, skillfully infusing distinctively Armenian colors with an approach to piano figuration inherited directly from Rachmaninoff.

Raffi Besalyan, piano

Raffi Besalyan
Hailed as “a true heir of the mainstream of Russian pianism, like Horowitz” (CHOPIN Magazine, Japan), “a keyboard phenomenon that needs to be heard by everyone interested in pianists and the piano” (Fanfare Magazine, USA), “a formidable pianist with a commanding presence and rich interpretive gifts” (American Record Guide) and “a master of his art” (The Record Geijutsu Magazine, Japan), Raffi Besalyan has established an international reputation of a magnetic and passionate performer. Active as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician, Besalyan appears in many important music venues worldwide. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised his performances for their virility, poetry, and extraordinary technical command.

Armenian-born American pianist Besalyan made his formal New York debut in Carnegie Hall after winning the Artists International Competition and was subsequently invited to perform at Merkin Concert Hall on the Artists International “Outstanding Alumni-Winners” series. The New York Concert Review described him as “Technically brilliant . . . Besalyan played with a great deal of temperament, speed and power . . . audacious spirit and poetic substance, deeply felt tenderness.” Most recently, Besalyan made his Chicago debut in the famed Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center as the featured guest artist for the Chicago International Music Festival. Among his competition awards are top prizes received from the Josef Hofmann International Piano Competition, the New York Frinna Awerbuch International Competition, and the MTNA National Piano Competition.

In recent years, Besalyan has dazzled his audiences in North and South America, Europe, Russia, and Asia, appearing as a soloist with the Osaka Symphony Orchestra (Japan), the Orchestra Sinfonica Del Festival Di Chioggia in Venice (Italy), the Yerevan Symphony Orchestra (Armenia), the Belgorod Symphony (Russia), the Kharkov Symphony (Ukraine), the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, the Owensboro Symphony (Kentucky), and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, among others. The Armenian Reporter Int’l (New York) stated that a “standing ovation and cries of ‘Bravo’ and ‘Encore’ went to pianist Raffi Besalyan . . . [he] mesmerized the audience with his gracious, delicate, yet powerful presentation of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3.”

Since his highly successful tour of Japan in 2001, Besalyan visits the country on a yearly basis for concerts and master classes arranged by IMC Music in Tokyo and MAS Management. Articles about Raffi Besalyan have appeared in the CHOPIN Magazine, Asahi, Sankei, Kobe, Nikkei, and Yomiuri newspapers. After a recital in Osaka, Sotokuan Press wrote, “The entire hall was devoured by Besalyan’s glorious touch and crystalline sound . . . Besalyan was not just playing the piano, he was creating wonderful art, and treated the piano with his love for the music.”

Some of the highlights also include recitals for Pro Musica of Detroit; The Embassy Series in Washington, D.C.; the “Keyboard Karma” series of Vancouver; “Overture Concerts” in Nelson, Canada; a concert tour and master classes in Japan including a performance of Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Concerto with the Osaka Symphony; solo recitals in Izumi Hall and Phoenix Hall in Osaka; recitals and master classes in Tokyo and Kyoto; a recital tour in celebration of Niigata Nippo newspaper’s 70th Anniversary; recitals in Rachmaninoff Hall and Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in Russia; a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; appearances in New York with the Jasper Quartet for Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music and with Metropolitan Opera tenor Jon Garrison; live broadcasts of solo recitals on WPR’s Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen; a fundraising recital for the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Madison (Wisconsin); and recitals with pianist Sara Davis Buechner in New York City.

Besalyan’s debut solo album, Dance, Drama, Decadence (IMC Music, Japan), has earned international accolades since its release in June 2012. The album received the prestigious Jun-Tokusen Award from The Record Geijutsu, Japan’s leading classical music magazine, and was chosen as “Classical Album of the Month” by Mainichi Shinbun, one of Japan’s largest newspapers. Dance, Drama, Decadence was selected as the “Best New Release of the Month” by Tokyo FM Music Bird, a prominent radio channel, where the CD premiered in its entirety. In addition, Ongaku no Tomo of Japan recommended and archived the CD as a study reference for music students and professors. Fanfare Magazine featured Besalyan in an extensive interview followed by rave reviews of the album, and another glowing review appeared in American Record Guide. Besalyan was also interviewed by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Norman Gilliland on The Midday, and Dance, Drama, Decadence was aired on WPR (Madison, WI) and KHPR (Honolulu, HI). The album features virtuoso works by Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Ravel and premiere recordings of colorful folkloristic pieces by Armenian composers Komitas and Baghdassarian.

In 2014, Besalyan signed with GRAMMY® Award-winning record label Sono Luminus. His first recording for the label will be released in early 2015. Besalyan has also recorded The Bach-Busoni Edition Vol. 1 with Sara Davis Buechner which was released by Koch International Classics in September 2008.

Besalyan received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory as a student of Sergey Barseghyan. He received an additional Master of Music degree from Rowan University under Veda Zuponcic and studied at the Manhattan School of Music with legendary American pianist Byron Janis and with Sara Davis Buechner. His studies at the Moscow State Conservatory included classes with Alexei Nasedkin, Victor Merzhanov, and Naum Shtarkman.

In 2014, Dr. Besalyan joined the faculty of Georgia State University in Atlanta where he is currently Assistant Professor of Piano. A former faculty member of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Rowan University in New Jersey, Besalyan also served on the faculties of Festival Musica in Laguna in Venice, Italy, and the International Summer Music Festival at Rowan. Besalyan has been active as an adjudicator for PTNA and Osaka International Music Competition in Japan, International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia, competitions in Italy, and for various chapters of MTNA. Besalyan is an assistant consultant on several piano projects for Dover Publications.

Booklet for The Return