Strings of Armenia

A Harp Journey from Komitas to Queen

Alexander Boldachev — Harp

Program

• Komitas — Spring
• Komitas — Chinar Es
• Aram Khachaturian — Waltz (from the incidental music to the drama Masquerade)
• Aram Khachaturian — Sabre Dance
• Arno Babajanyan — Nocturne
• Mikael Tariverdiev — Theme from the film Seventeen Moments of Spring
• Charles Aznavour — La Bohème
• Michel Legrand — The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• Johann Sebastian Bach — Toccata (from Toccata and Fugue in D minor)
• Antonio Vivaldi — Allegro (from Winter)
• Louis-Claude Daquin — The Cuckoo
• Antonio Vivaldi — Allegro (from Summer)
• Frédéric Chopin — Fantaisie-Impromptu
• Claude Debussy — Clair de Lune
• Sergei Rachmaninoff — Prelude in C-sharp minor
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (from The Nutcracker ballet)
• Dmitri Shoshtakovich — Waltz No. 2
• Gotye — Somebody That I Used to Know
• Scorpions — Wind of Change
• Red Hot Chili Peppers — Californication
• John Lennon — Imagine
• Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody

Encore:

• Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit

Description

"Strings of Armenia" is a special solo program by Alexander Boldachev, created for Yerevan as a musical journey from Armenian memory to global culture.

The concert opens with the poetic world of Komitas, followed by the brilliance and energy of Aram Khachaturian, the lyricism of Arno Babajanyan, and the cinematic nostalgia of Mikael Tariverdiev. Through the music of Charles Aznavour and Michel Legrand, the program transitions into the realm of chanson, cinema, love, and memory.

The central part of the evening unfolds the vast classical world of the harp: the dramatic architecture of Bach, the virtuoso energy of Vivaldi, the elegant French character of Daquin, the romantic fire of Chopin, and the lunar poetry of Debussy. The classical line then continues with three striking Russian masterpieces—Rachmaninoff’s dark Prelude, Tchaikovsky’s magical Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Shostakovich’s unforgettable Waltz No. 2.

The finale reveals the harp as a modern instrument without boundaries. Hits by Gotye, Scorpions, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Lennon, and Queen are transformed into a vivid concert statement, culminating in "Bohemian Rhapsody" and an explosive encore of Nirvana.

This is not a traditional harp recital. It is a path from Komitas to Queen—from Yerevan to the world, from memory to virtuosity, and from classical elegance to the sound of modern culture.