07:00 pm
Sergey Smbatyan Conductor
Sergei Nakariakov Trumpet
EDVARD GRIEG · “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 1 Op. 46 (1874-75/1885)
ALEXANDER ARUTJUNJAN · Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1950)
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK · Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” in E-minor Op. 95 (1893)
ALE, ALE! / YEREVAN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA · A dialogue without words
This is the debut of a very young orchestra! The Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra was only founded in 2023 in the Armenian capital. The great musical tradition of the country, reflected in the diverse training of young people and numerous orchestras, guarantees its quality – and the conductor, Sergey Smbatyan, also proved his outstanding talent at Young Euro Classic in Berlin previously. The programme is challenging for such a young orchestra: the centrepiece is Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony “From the new World”, a masterwork of melodies, sounds and rhythms, and a rewarding challenge for any orchestra! Edvard Grieg’s Suite from his incidental music for the play Peer Gynt, which opens the concert, is its equal in melodious richness. Between the two, the young orchestra performs one of the most popular pieces from its homeland: the virtuoso Trumpet Concerto by Alexander Arutjunjan.
A dialogue without words: for a fleeting moment, the musicians of the Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra meet the ensemble Ale, Ale! from the Sámi Region on this concert evening. Without a score. Without a fixed repertoire. The result is a musical dialogue, a creative adventure, a unique listening experience. A five-minute composition, only for the here and now.
The duo Ale, Ale! will perform at the Werner-Otto-Saal the next day, August 3, at 5 pm.
At the initiative of the City of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, the Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2023 as the country’s first permanent youth orchestra. In unites music students from the city’s various institutions. The youth orchestra has acquired a broad repertoire, giving concerts not only in Yerevan, but also in other Armenian regions. In June 2024, the world-famous violinist Augustin Hadelich appeared with the Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra; in September 2024, the orchestra opened the first International Symphony Orchestra Festival at the capital’s Tumanyan Park. This concert marks the Young Euro Classic debut of the Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra.
The Armenian conductor Sergey Smbatyan is currently artistic director and chief conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, which he led in 2023 on a tour of Great Britain and in 2024 on a US tour with concerts in New York, Boston and Los Angeles. With this orchestra, he recently recorded the album Aznavouriana for Deutsche Grammophon, commemorating the 100th birthday of the French-Armenian chansonnier Charles Aznavour. Born into a family of musicians in Yerevan in 1987, Smbatyan first studied at the State Conservatory “Komitas” in his hometown, then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Colin Davis. In Armenia, the 37-year-old is one of the most creative artistic personalities today: thus, Smbatyan founded the International Khachaturian Competition, the festival “Armenia” and the Penderecki Festival of Contemporary Music. At Young Euro Classic, the conductor has appeared several times previously, including in 2012, when he led a binational Turkish-Armenian orchestra project.
Sergei Nakariakov, a Russian-born Israeli trumpet player, was born in 1977 and has established himself as one of the most sought-after trumpeters on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, a suave and velvet-toned sound and a deep sensitivity, he has been hailed as the Paganini, also the Caruso of the trumpet. Sergei Nakariakov has also brought the flugelhorn to prominence on the concert platform. He has developed long-standing relationships with many of the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and musicians. Nakariakov’s repertoire covers not only the entire range of original literature for trumpet, but also comprises fascinating transcriptions and commissions by Peter Ruzicka, Mikhail Pletnev, Uri Brener, Enjott Schneider, Fazil Say and Jörg Widmann. Sergei Nakariakov’s season is marked by a series of high-profile concerts: in addition to the world premiere of Mikhail Pletnev’s Concerto for Trumpet, he will give concerts in Europe, South Korea, Hong Kong, Argentina, Brazil and Japan.