Hovhaness: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra & Other Works

Alan Hovhaness (Composer), Konstantin Krimets (Conductor), Globalis Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Berkofsky (Performer), Atakan Sari (Performer), Sergei Podobedov (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Martin Berkofsky, Atakan Sari, Sergei Podobedov
• Orchestra: Globalis Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Konstantin Krimets
• Composer: Alan Hovhaness
• Audio CD (July 26, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Black Box Classics
• ASIN: B0007YH7B4
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,221 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Masterpiece!, April 2, 2008

By 

John S. Hilliard (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hovhaness: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra & Other Works (Audio CD)

If you know the work of Alan Hovhaness, the great and unique American/Armenian/Scottish composer, this Concerto for Two Pianos may come as a surprise. It is unusual in his output. The orchestral parts fit his lifetime approach of Asian-influenced modal repetitive style. However, the wonderful and brilliant piano writing seems at first to be at odds with this sound world. There are cluster like chords, bimodality, polytonality involved in the soloists parts. This creates a very dynamic collage. I believe, for me, this may be Hovhaness's greatest work. Ironic and sad that it has never had an American premiere (as of this date!). I hope this is remedied soon. It is due to the untiring efforts of Martin Berkofsky that we have a recording of this work at all, which has gone unpublished since its composition in 1954. Berkofsky is an amazing musician and does a superlative job here with three solo pieces and the "concerto" Lousadzak...another masterwork of Hovhaness. Anyone who loves the music of the past 100 years should get this CD... its profit supports a great cause too: that of the Beslan School Tragedy Fund. -John S. Hilliard, Composer.