Eduard Bagdasarian : Musique pour piano et pour violon

   in Piano International (Jan, 2015)
Eduard Bagdasarian (1922-1987) was an Armenian composer. The work on this disc for piano solo is the 24 Preludes written between 1951 and 1958, here receiving their first ever recording. The work is full of contrasts and is written in masterly fashion. The figure of Rachmaninov looms in some, while the influence of French Impressionism through a Slavic filter is also present. Moscow Conservatory-trained Mikael Ayrapetyan makes the best possible case for this music, enshrined in a fine recording. The violin and piano works are no less interesting. Booklet notes by Malcolm MacDonald complete an excellent release. …