Spirit of Freedom
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Composer/pianist Grigor Khachatryan gives definitive performances of his first two piano sonatas.

Composer/pianist Grigor Khachatryan is an Armenian-American who was born and raised in the post-Soviet Union Armenia. He was taught from childhood that life holds no meaning without freedom. Both of his piano sonatas are based on stories that honor men and women who have given their lives to preserve human freedom and elevate the value of human life. Khachatryan came to the United States as a teenager, living in Bedford, Indiana where he finished high school, taking piano lessons at Indiana University at the same time. He went on to do his undergraduate and graduate work there, completing a Doctorate degree in Piano Performance. A winner of many awards and competitions, Khachatryan is active as a concert artist and composer. He is on the faculty at Concordia College, Moorhead.
Contents:
Grigor Khachatryan, composer
Piano Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Op. 2 "Battle of Avarayr"
Grigor Khachatryan (piano)

Grigor Khachatryan, composer
Piano Sonata in C Sharp Minor, Op. 1, "David of Sassoun"
Grigor Khachatryan (piano)

Review:
“…Khachatryan has embraced fairly traditional standards of Classical form and wedded them to an eclectic array of late Romantic and mainstream 20th-century styles and modes of expression that make for a very beautiful sonata, and a riveting one that holds the attention for its entire duration. That, in itself, is an exceptional accomplishment for only the young composer’s second opus. This listener’s attention was held unflagging for 42 minutes, and that is testament to a structural integrity occasionally lacking even in some later works by some of the greatest and most famous composers….” (Fanfare)

“…Khachatryan’s strong technical training is evident in his forcefully confident execution. The music’s persistence in my memory, along with the vividly imagined scenarios it inspired, indicates that, to me at least, Grigor Khachatrayn has accomplished his aim of creating a fusion of art, history, and legend that’s worth hearing….” (Fanfare)

“…The piano language in the two works is original and imaginative…The composer at the piano knows how to present his creations: Without effort he masters the intricate, sometimes polyrhythmic challenges of the works and otherwise convinces with atmospheric performances….” (Pizzicato)