Pieces from Khachaturian’s “Spartacus” Ballet Suites Performed for the First Time Ever in Musikverein by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Sergey Smbatyan

In the framework of its April 28 - May 5 European concert tour, organized by European Foundation for Support of Culture, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra had performances in Berlin, Prague, Bratislava and Vienna under the baton of Sergey Smbatyan, the Principal Conductor of the orchestra. Along with works by European composers, the orchestra performed pieces from the Ballet Suites “Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian.

The last concert was held at Vienna’s reputable Musikverein concert hall, with the audience saluting the performance of the Malta Philharmonic with standing ovation.

In our conversation with Sergey Smbatyan, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra we talked about the Musikverein concert as well as the recognition of the Armenian music around the world.

-Maestro, you had your last performance at Vienna’s Musikverein 2.5 years ago with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. I wonder what it is like to perform on this stage, this hall being an iconic venue with profound traditions of classical music.

-Our Musikverein concert with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra was held in 2020, before the outbreak of the pandemic, where we played the Symphony No.2 by John Ter-Tatevossian. It was a brilliant concert, with Maxim Vengerov performing as soloist. It was a premiere of the symphony by John Ter-Tatevossian in Musikverein, which still resonates with the audiences and the musical world, garnering acclaim and geed memories to this day, which is a great success. The events that are held in a venue such as Musikverein are talked about by the entire musical world.

-How did you come up with the decision to include Khachaturian’s music in the concert program of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra?

-It was my request and recommendation to the Malta Philharmonic and organizers of the concert tour to perform pieces from the Ballet Suites “Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian. Khachaturian’s music resonates greatly with audiences, even when it’s their first encounter with this music. And we weren’t misguided. Khachaturian’s music was performed brilliantly by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by the standing ovations of the audiences which is not an ordinary scene in Musikverein, as one of the managers at Musikverein shared with the Director of the orchestra. This welcoming feedback is the evidence of the great success of our performance.

-Had the Ballet Suites “Spartacus” ever been performed on this stage before?

-I was told that this was the first performance of "Spartakus" at Musikverein. Aram Khachatryan is one of our greatest heroes, but we have to admit that the world does not have the awareness that we would desire to see. I believe such projects to be highly critical for promoting our culture. I would also like to thank the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra for their willingness to perform Armenian music.

-Was this the first experience of playing Armenian music for the Malta Philharmonic as well?

-Yes, it was their first experience of performing Armenian music. It was a great responsibility for me as a conductor, and the success that the concert harvested for the Malta Philharmonic and for us all, supported the choice of the concert program and especially the selected pieces of works by Khachaturian and it’s very inspiring to me. We must play Khachaturian’s fascinating music all the more frequently, because while we think that his art is well known all around the world, the actuality leaves a lot to be desired. We have a long way to reach this. We have to use every opportunity to show to the world that our music has a distinct character and unique melodic profile. Talent plays a big part in these efforts, indeed, and we have to be able to deliver our values in a proper manner.

-Maestro Smbatyan, the London Symphony Orchestra released a record of the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from the Ballet “Spartacus” and “Shushanik” by Edvard Mirzoyan in 2019, and in 2020 John Ter-Tatevossian’s Symphony No.2 was performed on most prestigious stages in 8 cities and 5 countries across Europe, Khachaturian’s music is played in Vienna. What’s coming next?

-It’s absolutely crucial to present our culture in the right way. Meeting with leading actors in the world of art and talking about our composers – about Terteryan, Mirzoyan, Harutyunyan – you realize that a lot of people have no knowledge of our composing art. This is a great challenge for us. We must go to any lengths to succeed in promoting Armenia and Armenian culture. We must raise the awareness of our composers and their art around the world, because this music is a novelty and new say in the global cultural context which has a great demand everywhere.