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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Hover Chamber Choir, which has recently returned from Taiwan International Festival, is preparing to win the hearts of the Belgians. Besides, the Armenian fans will be provided with the opportunity to enjoy numerous premieres and surprises by the end of the year of 2013, about which Armenpress was informed by the Artistic Director of the Choir Sona Hovhannisyan.
- Hover Chamber Choir has recently participated in the Artsvaberd opera premiere held in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. What do you and the members of the Choir feel after the performance in Shushi?
- We returned from Artsakh two days ago. It was a perfect initiative. You can watch the results on September 20 by the Public Television. Such events in Shushi are being held quite seldom, unfortunately. The people were very enthusiastic and happy.
- In August the Choir performed in Taiwan…
- In the beginning of August we took part in the Taiwan International Festival. It was very well organized event. We have very good memories connected with Taiwan. Our 9-members choir performed four concerts there. We tried to introduce our modern music to the foreign audience. During the Festival it was noted that our music is unique and differs from the ones of the other cultures. We got stormy and warm reception, as well as we got new invitations to participate in other events.
- What concerts are you preparing for now? Dou you have tours in the nearest future?
- On September 17 we will perform spiritual music in the framework of the “100 concerts commemorating victims of the Armenian Genocide”. On September 26 we are leaving for Belgium to participate in a festival, where we will present only Armenian spiritual music. By the end of the current year we will have several concerts in Armenia. On December 12-19 we will leave for France and will hold three concerts there. (THE FULL INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
Interviewed by Roza Grigoryan
Photos by Felix Arustamyan
The Armenian wordHover(wind) frequently occurs in beautiful folk songs by Komitas, a revered name in Armenian sacred and folk music, which is part of the choir's core repertoire. Wind is a primordial element of nature and a life force - it is part of the 'ecology of the soul', a spirit sweeping through time and, like an epic, legend or tale.
This youthful, musically progressive chamber choir is proud to be able to present Armenian music to the wider world. Both old and new music from the Armenian nation has been a very well-kept secret. Hover has been privileged to be able to be one of the most active Chamber choirs in promoting Armenian music and the wealth of treasure with which this beholds.
The internationally acclaimed, award-winningHover:Chamber Choir of Armenia was established in Yerevan, Armenia in 1992 as a performing arts group, consisting of 26 singers many of whom are students, or graduates, of the Komitas National Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia. The choir is supported by donations and honoraria. The tale ofHoverbegan over ten years ago, and continues to evolve.
Hoveris a musical ambassador for Armenia and Armenian music, winning diplomas at theInternational Polyphonic Music Festival inArezzo,Italyin 1997and theInternational Competition in Tours, Franceas well as thegold medal at the International Choir Olympiad inLinz,Austriain 2000. In September 2003 Hover toured Great Britain, presenting concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London.
Among the major works it has performed in the past five years are Bach's St John and St. Matthew Passions, Britten's Cantata Misericordia, Buxtehude’s Magnificat, Ludwig Basil's setting of St. Gregory of Narek's Book of Lamentations, Requiems by Mozart and Cherubini, Avet Terteryan’s Sixth Symphony, as well as numerous collections of Armenian sacred and folk music.
2003, Hover present Armenian music to the general public of the United Kingdom, singing in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge and London to critical acclaim.
In 2003 Hover performed “Six Fables,” a choral performance of Armenian fabulist Vardan Aigektsi's Fables composed by Stepan Babatorosyan, which has been characterized as a new genre in music culture.
2002,Hoverperformed with the renownedLondon Sinfonietta, singing in the world premiere of Stephan Rostomyan's 'Entrance', conducted by Diego Masson.
2001, the male staff of Hover were recorded for the soundtrack of the eminent Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's movie, “Ararat”.
Music critics in Armenia, Russia, France, Italy, Austria and the United Kingdom have praisedHoverfor its timbre, precision and sophisticated handling of close harmonies and complex rhythms of Armenian, classical and especially modern works. The choir has a rich and varied repertoire of Armenia and Western sacred and classical works, folk songs and popular music.Hover'syouthful energy and new genres make an immediate connection with the larger listening public.