Building on the success of last year's concert featuring Persian music, we'll once again explore classical music from another distant region of the world. This year we'll introduce our audience to the exotic rhythms and instrumentation of music from Armenia, presenting works by both popular and less well-known composers.

We'll open with Mozart's powerful Symphony No. 38, which received its triumphant premiere in Prague. The dynamic, melodic Violin Concerto by famous Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian will feature the brilliant young Siberian-born violinist Mikhail Simonyan, who at 23 is already recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. Also on the program is Edvard Mirzoyan's exciting work for orchestra and solo timpani, and Lazar Saryan's Panel Armenia, which was inspired by the paintings of the composer's father, the great Armenian painter Martiros Saryan. (less info)