The posters on the concert in Yerevan often become a cause for not just cultural but also political and historical conversations. In this case, such a conversation is held with regard to the concert to be held at “Aram Khachatryan” Concert Hall on May 20. The core is the Jewish history, the development of their religion and culture that has about 4 thousand years of history. Accompanied by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia (artistic director Ed. Topchyan), an ethnic Jew, Germany-based cellist Ramon Jaffe will perform. Together with pianist and laureate of international competitions, Anahit Dilbaryan, he will perform his father Don Jaffe’s “Exodus 1971” for piano, cello and “Symphony-Concerto” orchestra. Conductor – Harutyun Arzumanyan.
Incidentally, Don Jaffe’s name is known to the Armenian classical music audience. Gor Hovhannisyan’s conducted String Trio firstly presented the work of the Jewish composer in Armenia. In an interview with Aravot, Ramon Jaffe first said that he was born in Latvia, his family moved to Israel in 1971 and then to Germany in 1974. Our interlocutor has received the first steps in the music under his father’s direction. As for Exodus 1971 work, our interlocutor first said that this three-part concerto is performed in Armenia for the first time, and it mirrors the author’s, i.e. his family history. “In 1958, when my parents were registering their marriage at one of the Civil Act Registration Offices in Riga, since then my father has said to my mother, this kind of slavery that reminds me of the horror of the concentration camps, how long we can survive and overcome the injustices of the current regime … And in 1971, our family was one of the first that, to put it mildly, abandoned the Soviet country. At first, we moved to Israel and then to Germany. Exodus 1971 is the history of our family. But this piece of work seems to be the foundation of freedom, a celebration music generating in the soul of the composer,” – the cellist said. Being outside of his birthplace Riga for more than 40 years, as they say, so much water has run. Ramon Jaffe has attended a number of prestigious competitions, as a renowned chamber musician, he has collaborated with famous names. He is an expected guest by famous orchestras, moreover, he conducts the Middelburg/NL Chamber Music Festival since 2011; he is also the founder and artistic director of the Trio Chamber Music festivals in Hofgarten. According to the artist, both the Jews and Armenians are doomed to the same fate from heaven. Let me note that it is no secret that you and we all talented people, this is why we often appear in the focal point of events in the world on different occasions, such as, political or cultural. Referring to his father Don Jaffe’s activities, our interlocutor said that the 83-year-old composer began to compose at the age of 63, before that he was a musician and cellist of the famous Bremen Symphony Orchestra. Interrupting the question, the younger Jaffe said that his father is listening to modern music at the age of 63 and then decided to present his own piece of work to his colleagues. The answer follows, if in the same concert, Jaffe’s works are also performed next to Shostakovich’s, let’s say, Sonata, then Shostakovich’s work will lose its sparkle. Perhaps, this inspires senior Jaffe to “give up” with the cello and began composing activities.
Conductor Harutyun Arzumanyan, who joined our conversation, expressed his admiration of the pianist Anahit Dilbaryan. “Do you remember in 2012 when the Junior Classical Eurovision Song Contest was held in Vienna where the canon-player Narek Galstyan with his truly high artistry of performance admired the West ranking the 3rd place, he was accompanied by Anahit. This young pianist who is also a laureate of several international competitions performed in over 25 countries. Moreover, she has also devoted herself to teaching. It is a rare phenomenon nowadays that such an artist is teaching at music schools and Anahit teaches not only at Chukhajyan’s and Basil Kanachyan’s music schools but also at the Music School named after Artemi Ayvazyan in Ashtarak region…” – said the conductor. He also added that Ramon Jaffe is a fan of the Armenian Composing Art. His repertoire includes Aram Khachaturian’s, Alexander Harutyunyan’s and Tigran Mansuryan’s works. Today, it is the third year in a row that he is giving master classes in Germany to cellist Hayk Sukiasyan who has studied in the class of the Komitas State Conservatory Professor Armen Mesropyan, becoming his unique producer.
Samvel DANIELYAN
Photo: Anahit Dilbaryan (right), Harutyun Arzumanyan and Ramon Jaffe
“Aravot” daily
