Product Description
Epitaphios
The idea to write a piece which would embed various eastern instrumental playing techniques into western aesthetic milieu was the main musical "trigger" for Epitaphios. There are some pre-existing musical materials involved in the creative process. First and the main reference comes from so-called Seikilos Epitaph - a Hellenistic ancient Greek song which is the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition. It is notated on a tombstone, a stele dating back to around 1st century AD which was found in present western Turkey. Other 2 main references are nearly tonal neo-romantic sacred music and perhaps most interestingly microtonal Middle Eastern music ornaments peculiar to traditional bowed string instruments such as Kamancha. By correlation and superimposition of these 3 different styles the composer created a complex, multilayered somewhat eclectic atmosphere which may allusively reflect the composite approach to the problem of life and death from rational, emotional and spiritual perspectives.
The recording is a live performance by Movses Pogossian and Armen Derkevorkian, violins, Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, viola, Vardan Gasparyan, cello at Zipper Hall, Los Angeles (2015).
Vahram Sarkissian (Sargsyan)
One of the most distinguished Armenian composers of his generation Vahram Sarkissian is best known for his choral and chamber works that have been widely performed throughout Europe, Asia and North America. His style represents a palette of multicultural creative initiatives influenced by numerous traditions and practices spanning from V century Armenian medieval chant to previously unreported endogenous vocal extended techniques.
Among performers of Sarkissian's music are BBC Singers (UK), Little Singers of Armenia, Ensemble Transmission (Canada), Meitar Ensemble (Israel), Boston Choral Ensemble (USA), Ensemble Oktoplus (Germany) and many others.
Commissioners of Sarkissian's music are Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany), CBC Radio (Canada), Boston Choral Ensemble (USA), AGBU Foundation (USA), Oxford University Press (UK), Lark Musical Society (USA) just to mention a few.
His honors include the winner award in the POLYPHONOS 2017 Commission Competition (USA 2016), the winner award in the Third BCE Commission Competition (USA, 2010); 1st prize in the International Contest for New Choral Compositions (Croatia, 2009); the third prize in the Godfrey Ridout Awards from the Socan Foundation (Canada, 2012) and many others.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.