InternationalMemorial concert in Minnesota honors Iraqi-Armenian pianist Beatrice Ohanessian
Published: Tuesday November 24, 2009
Beatrice Ohanessian.
Sita Ohanessian and pianists .
Saint Paul, Minn. - Beatrice Ohanesssian devoted her life to her country, her family, and her profession. As pianist for the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and recitalist throughout Europe, this Iraqi-Armenian woman was a musical pioneer in her own country before moving to Minnesota in 1994.
Ms. Ohanessian, who spent her last years in the Twin Cities, was remembered on November 15 with a concert at St. Sahag Armenian Church, sponsored by the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota and arranged by her sister, Sita Ohanessian.
Acclaimed duo-pianists Amy and Sara Hamann opened the program with Franz Schubert's Fantasy in F minor. The two of them worked together very well in performing this very complicated piano duet. It was enjoyable to see the intense focus that both sisters displayed while playing.
Next was Johannes Brahms' Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 99, performed by Tanya Remenikova on cello and Alexander Braginsky on piano, both of the University of Minnesota. Mr. Braginsky introduced the piece by recalling that Beatrice Ohanessian once substituted teaching his students. After only a few days, he could see how they had bonded with her, both personally and as their teacher.
Pianist Juan Li of Bethel University played Robert Schumann's Carnaval, Opus 9, followed by James Calahan, emeritus professor at the University of St. Thomas, with Franz Liszt's Sonetto No. 104 del Petrarca. Oleg Levin of the St. Paul Conservatory of Music concluded the first half of the program with a brilliant rendering of Ms. Ohanessian's own piano composition, "Song to the Hero."
After the intermission, Yerevan-born pianist Anna Sarkisova of UCLA offered two pieces, Etude in F minor by Franz Liszt and Prelude in G minor, Opus 23, no. 5 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
There followed a trio by Aram Khachaturian with violinist Alison Fahy of the MacPhail Center for Music, clarinetist Paul Schimming of Southwest Minnesota State University, and pianist Jieun Kim of the University of Minnesota. Ms. Fahy recalled performing at an earlier concert arranged by Ms. Ohanessian, to whom she had expressed the wish to play the Khachaturian piece next time. Now, whenever Ms. Fahy performs it, she is reminded of her late friend.
The last live performer was Tbilisi-born pianist Natalia Kazaryan of The Julliard School, who offered Franz Joseph Haydn's Sonata in E major, 1st movement, Arno Babajanian's Elegie, and Aram Khachaturian's "Lullaby" from the Gayane dance suite.
The concert closed with a recording of Ms. Ohanessian performing selections from Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Despite the tape hiss, her playing certainly was of the best quality.
Comments from several audience members after the concert confirmed my own impressions. We had just attended a performance by several world-class musicians playing pieces by some of the greatest classical composers in history (and playing them flawlessly), and to some extent we have come to take such quality for granted as just another concert like all of the others sponsored by the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota. We have been spoiled by the quality of the musicianship that we always seem to have here, starting over 20 years ago with the violin performances of Henry Gregorian, followed by the piano recitals by Beatrice Ohanessian and Stepan Khatchatryan, and continuing on with concerts such as this one.
Throughout her life, Ms. Ohanessian shared her love of music through her teaching and performances. For this concert honoring her great commitment to music, thanks are due to Sita Ohanessian, the musicians themselves, and ACOM.
Spotlight on the Armenian performers
Pianist Natalia Kazaryan has been hailed by the New York Sun for "her prodigious ability" who "immediately established an atmosphere of strength and confidence." The Armenian News Network raved that she was "the star of the afternoon...a wonderfully gifted pianist who understands the instrument and shows it to excellent effect with her multi-tonal palette, unmannered phrasing and seamless technique."
Ms. Kazaryan has performed in solo recitals around Europe, Asia, and the United States. She is a prize winner of numerous competitions, including the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition, the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition and the Second New York Piano Competition, which has provided her with concert management. As an active chamber musician, Ms. Kazaryan has given many performances with different ensembles, including the New Juilliard Ensemble, which is dedicated to the performance of contemporary music. This season Ms. Kazaryan had performances at the Winter Garden Series in N.Y., the Clark Studio Theaters and the Fazioli Piano Salon in New York City, The Noble Art Piano Salon in Easton, Pa., and many other venues.
Recently, Ms. Kazaryan released her first solo album under the PianoCulture label. The CD includes works by Bach, Chopin, Prokofiev and Ravel. Ms Kazaryan is featured in Beyond The Practice Room, a film documentary about pianists competing in the 2004 New York Piano Competition.
Ms. Kazaryan was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1987. At the age of six she enrolled at the Tbilisi Music School for Gifted Children under the tutelage of Alla Nakashidze and made her orchestral debut at the age of seven with the Tbilisi State Chamber Orchestra. In 2002, she moved to the United States and began working with Professor Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan. In the fall of 2005, Ms. Kazaryan began her bachelor of music degree studies at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal. Ms. Kazaryan is now pursuing her masters degree at Juilliard. She is also a student at Columbia University, where she studies French.
