Vienna Philharmonic in Armenia
Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival will launch its 14th edition with concert of legendary Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan in 11 April in Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall. This truly historical concert will be conducted by famous American conductor, 11 rimes Grammy awards winner Michael Tilson Thomas, soloist of the festive evening is greatest virtuoso pianist Yefim Bronfman. Yerevan Perspectives high class concert season will present also Shanghai Quartet, Yuri Bashmet-60 jubilee concert with Moscow Soloists Orchestra, bariton Dmitri Hvorostovsky and conductor Constantine Orbelian, Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy, among other remarkable concerts. Yerevan Perspectives Festival is being held under high patronage of the President of Armenian Republic Serzh Sargsyan. The Festival founding president and artistic director is composer Stepan Rostomyan.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1842. In 1860 the orchestra cooperated with important conductors, composers and soloists Otto Dessoff, Hans Richter, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt. In 1877 the Vienna Philharmonic had its first performance outside of Vienna at what was then known as the “Salzburg Musikfest” and it performed abroad for the first time at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 with Gustav Mahler conducting. The Philharmonic’s close relationship to Richard Strauss, of course, is of great historical importance. Further musical highlights were artistic collaborations with Arturo Toscanini, the long-lasting cooperation with Wilhelm Furtwängler and – after 1945 – with honorary conductors Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan as well as the Vienna Philharmonic’s honorary member Leonard Bernstein. The orchestra has been a registered association since 1908. The Vienna Philharmonic has performed approximately 7000 concerts since his creation on all five continents, has participated in the Salzburg Festival since 1922, is permanently guest at the Festival Wiener Festwochen, the Mozart Week in Salzburg or the Lucerne Festival, has been presenting Vienna Philharmonic Weeks in New York since 1989 and in Japan since 1993. The orchestra organizes the New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast internationally in over 70 countries, and the Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn in the unique ambience of the gardens of Schönbrunn palace, attended annually by up to 120,000 people.
Program of concert of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will present: Franz Schubert Overture “Rosamund”, Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, Johannes Brams Piano Quartet No. 1 arranged by Arnold Schoenberg.
It is the 14th year the festival brings to Armenia the world’s most famous musicians and orchestras such as Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam with Lorin Maazel, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra with Christoph Eschenbach, Gulbenkian Orchestra with Laurence Foster, Placido Domingo, Evgeny Kissin, Pinchas Zukerman, Gidon Kremer, Julian Rachlin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Rodion Shchedrin, Vienna Boirs Choir, London Sinfonietta, Kronos, Arditti, Haagen, Tokyo string quartets, amnong other top class musicians and ensembles. The Festival is a member of European Festivals Association and is being held under the patronage of the President of the President of Armenian Republic.
Founding President and Artistic Director of the Festival is Prof of Yerevan State Conservatory, composer Stepan Rostomyan.
