Raffi Armenian to guest conduct Regina Symphony Orchestra

PanARMENIAN.Net - Regina Symphony Orchestra Maestro Victor Sawa's conducting instructor, Raffi Armenian, will be the guest conductor for the Romantics Masterworks show Saturday, Nov 23, at Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, according to The Regina Leader-Post.

Armenian, whose illustrious career includes being made a member of the Order of Canada, for decades directed the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and founded the Canadian Chamber Ensemble - two organizations Sawa was involved with during his days playing clarinet.

"He was a fantastic clarinetist, a great musician and a great friend," Armenian said fondly about Sawa.

Armenian is no stranger to Regina. He notes he served a stint as interim director for the RSO at one point, The Regina Leader-Post says.

During this visit, he will conduct the RSO "for three Romantic works by three people who knew each other very well and admired each other."

First up is Mendelssohn's The Hebrides Overture, a piece inspired by Fingal's Cave on the Scottish island of Staffa. Mendelssohn is credited with promoting the music of Bach - and he was also a good friend of composer Robert Schumann, Armenian noted.

Schumann is another of the composers on the program, with his Third Symphony to be performed by the RSO. It was composed as a celebration of the history, rugged landscape, and enchanting legends of the Rhineland.

Between those two works, the RSO will perform Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Brahms was the composer who discovered Schumann and he remained friends with Robert Schumann's wife Clara Schumman later in life.

"So you see that it's the same circle of people, this program," Armenian said. "They were kind of people who admired and nurtured the past and yet wrote fantastically new music." Armenian says symphony-goers will be amazed at the beauty of the music.

"It is very lyrical and it is very evocative," he said. "The Mendelssohn depicts the storm on the Scottish island which he has visited. The Haydn Variations are absolutely stunning, colorful, really big sounding and with immense contrast. And the Schumann is a very passionate piece. Like a lot of Schumann's works, it goes from passionate to beautifully lyrical, and it ends on a joyful note.

"I hope that people will come because it's really a fascinating program," Armenian added.

The show will also feature a special appearance by former RSO music director Howard Leyton-Brown, who will be conducting Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations.