The Armenian Weekly. The New York Times bestselling author Chris Bohjalian once described Kariné Poghosyan’s performance in the following way, “It was one of those moments where you just cherish being alive and really understand the depth of the human soul and the potential of the human spirit. It is rare that I get to use one of my favorite Armenian words with such absolute conviction: skanchelee!” These words have been symbolically echoed by audience members and critics alike after Poghosyan’s live concerts.
Her most recent return to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall was no exception. On November 4, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations (UN) in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation presented Poghosyan’s solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. The performance was a release concert of her newly released Centaur Records CD of works by Sergey Rachmaninov and Igor Stravinsky. The concert was attended by a large number of ambassadors and delegates of the UN Member States as well as senior UN officials. His excellency, Armenia’s Ambassador to the UN Mher Margaryan remarked how impressed and inspired these esteemed guests were and how proud the Permanent Mission of Armenia felt to present such a gifted Armenian artist.
Talin Markarian, Assistant to the Permanent Representative, Kariné Poghosyan and Armenia’s Ambassador to the UN Mher Margaryan
AGBU director Anita Anserian remarked, “She did it again and wowed the audience with her inimitable, passionate performance impeccably executed as always.”
The packed hall gave Poghosyan a hearty standing ovation, to which she responded with an homage to her roots and her first commercial recording from 2015 – Aram Khachaturian’s feisty Toccata. The reaction from both audience members and music journalists was deeply positive. The New York Music Daily wrote “Karine Poghosyan Finds the Holy Grail with Russian Romantics at Carnegie Hall.” Legendary radio host of “Between the Keys” on WWFM, pianist and composer, Jed Distler said, “Her sound envelops the room in three dimensional textures and tone colors, and no matter how loud she gets, the sonority is consistently full-bodied and never lapses for even a second into banging. It’s as if the piano is a part of her body. But it’s more than that. She uses her amazing technique to convey character, generosity and passion, and she takes risks without losing the structure. This is big piano playing, but big in the sense of being in the moment, being present, and totally owning her vitality and imagination.”
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“Listening to and watching Kariné Poghosyan play fills one with life and energy. The combination of her formidable skill and her unchecked passion is an experience I recommend for anyone who needs to be reminded of the artist and art within themselves,” remarked the Oscar-winning screenwriter Alex Dinelaris.
