1 October 2015

Odeion

19:30

Avanesyan is considered one of the most inspiring artists of his generation.  Born in Armenia in 1986, he moved to Belgium with his family at the age of 16.  From 2003 to 2008 he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in the class of Igor Oistrakh, son and pupil of legendary David Oistrakh.  In April 2006, as a young teenager, he won the first prize at the Yehudi Menuhin Competition.  From 2007 he studied at the Queen Elisabeth College of Music (Belgium) with Augustin Dumay.  In 2008 his talent was recognized once more in the musical world, when he won the prestigious Carl Nielsen Competition in Denmark.

During recent years Avanesyan has made acclaimed debuts with orchestras such as Belgian National Orchestra (Brussels), London Chamber Orchestra (London), Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Lille, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Odense Symphony, South Jutland Symphony, Liège Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Copenhagen). 

Avanesyan has given concerts in prestigious venues like the Wigmore Hall, Salle Gaveau and Théatre des Champs Elysées (Paris), Santury Hall (Tokyo), Moscow Kremlin's Grand Hall, Danish Radio Concert Hall (Copenhagen), National Auditorium (Madrid) and the Palais des Beaux-Art (Brussels).  Highlights have been appearances in David's Hall, Cardiff with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, where he shared the stage with Joshua Bell and Maxim Vengerov; in Wigmore Hall where he debuted with the American pianist Ashley Wass and numerous recitals at the Montpellier Festival, Menton Festival and Strasbourg Music Festival in memory of Yehudi Menuhin. 

In 2010 to 2011 Avanesyan toured extensively in Scandinavia with pianist Marianna Shirinyan and appeared with the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra, debut appearance with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and a recital tour (Japan).  In 2012 he appeared with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Copenhagen Philharmonic for the first time.

His first CD with Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 2 was released in 2010.  His first solo CD with music by Dvorak was released in 2011 with Sinfonia Varsovia and Augustin Dumay.  Hrachya plays on the violin of Antonio Stradivarius "Piatti" from 1717.

He will be accompanied by Pieter Jacobs, a graduate of the University of Pretoria, who then furthered his studies at Yale in the United States, where he pursued his performing career with considerable success as a soloist and chamber musician in Boston, Cambridge and New Haven before returning to South Africa to perform and teach at the University of Pretoria.  Pieter is regarded as one of SA’s foremost pianists and chamber musicians.

PROGRAMME

Mozart - Rondo in C major KV.373

Beethoven - Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer"

Ravel - Sonata in G major

Brahms - Sonata No. 1 in G major

ADMISSION

R130 (adults), R90 (pensioners), R70 (UFS staff), R50 (students and learners), R50 (group bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket.

ENQUIRIES

Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504)