The Glendale Philharmonic
Opening Concert, 2010 Season
Reviewed by Jose Ruiz

The Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra opened its 2010 - 2011 season in grand style at the First Baptist Church of Glendale. A few things have changed since we covered their inaugural concert early in January. There have been some personnel changes except for some of the principals, but the heart and soul of the orchestra remains its creator and founder, Ruslan Biryukov, Master Cellist. This man must have had a medical transplant years ago where he exchanged his veins for cello strings - else how do explain that instead of blood, music flows through his entire being and he moves at the speed of 32nd notes?

Ruslan Biryukov

The concert on November 7th opened with J.C. Bach's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C minor. There is never anything minor when Ruslan plays and as soloist he set an exceptionally high bar for the orchestra to emulate.

The concerto ranges from the brisk Allegro molto ma maestroso to a somber second movement marked as an Adagio molto expressivo. (translation for the common man - "bring them to tears"). Then it bounces back with vigor in the third movement with boundless energy and brightness, and of course, boundless energy is Ruslan's middle name so the result was an expected brilliant performance by one of the best.

At the age of twelve, Rossini wrote six string sonatas in three days in 1804. He scribbled them on paper and left them behind at the home of Agostino Triossi, and from there they have made their way across the ocean and the centuries to the vestibule of the First Baptist Church where the Glendale Phil took the String Sonata Number 2 under the baton of Maestro Mikael Avetisyan and made it soar. The performance was both elegant and intimate, with sweeping crescendos and soft phrasings that evoked wonderful musical images.

In a special surprise performance, the Glendale Youth Orchestra conducted by Music Director Brad Keimach performed the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 31 in D - K.297. These young musicians who come from middle schools and high schools played with tremendous gusto and uncharacteristic maturity, not to mention technical excellence. One look at conductor Keimach explains why. His hands, his face, his entire body cajoles and exhorts music from these kids with loving gestures and encouraging smiles. The looks on their cherubic faces show a deep concentration and commitment, first to get it right and then to make it sing. They succeed in both! In a time of budget cutbacks and when schools choose to defer money to sports rather than the arts, it is gratifying to see that reason and good sense still live within many parents who encourage their children to pursue music. The GYO should be commended for its great work.

 

Some people may not have heard of a Duduk. No wonder. It's only a 3,000 year old Armenian instrument with a long cultural history. Most modern duduk instruments are tuned in the diatonic scale and have a range of about one octave.

So how does one play this instrument, you ask? Very carefully, as it is from the woodwind family and has a double reed. In the hands of duduk master Ruben Harutyunyan, the Armenian Folk Tunes by Ruben Altunian became a work of art.

The warm, often scaly breathy sound of the instrument evoked melancholy, serenity, peace and flirtations providing one of the more unique experiences of the evening.

Ruben Harutyunyan

But the orchestra had another ace up it's sleeve. The resounding hit of the evening came with the performance of George Bizet's opera Carmen as arranged by Rodion Shchedrin. The thirteen musical vignettes of the opera glistened and pulsated with all the emotions of the opera. There were tender passages followed by fiery escapades and passionate fortissimos. A crew of five percussionists constantly flitted back and forth to pound the drums, beat the gong, tinkle the marimbas, chime the bells and make sure that all the other punctuations of the music were delivered with precision and musicality. So what did the audience think?

A standing ovation of several minutes was not enough for the crowd of almost 500. They demanded an encore - and after a little encouragement Maestro Avetisyan obliged with Karl Jenkins' Concerto Grosso Palladio. The crowd again stood - and demanded yet another encore. This time it was a sprite and plucky offering composed by Leroy Anderson, Plink-Plank-Plunk, delivered at breakneck speed which was the perfect selection to close an evening of wonderful music.

In its quest to bring musical joy to the area, the Glendale Phil is accomplishing a subtle but certain result in bringing people together. Reflecting on the piece that was the evening's hit, one should remember that it was written by a French man, who wrote about a Spanish Gypsy. Then the music was arranged by a Russian, and here it was played by an orchestra that is mostly Armenian musicians with a few others of diverse background, performing in California, one of the most ethnically mixed states in the USA. This certainly shows people coming together for a common purpose.

But as Ruslan Biryukov acknowledged all the people and dignitaries who have worked to make this musical dream possible, he had a special mention for one. He thanked his immigration attorney who has helped him arrange his papers to achieve permanent residency in this country.

Only in America . . .

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                Photos: Diane Acosta

Orchestra Personnel

Principal Conductor Maestro Mikael Avetisyan
Soloists
Ruslan Biryukov - Cello
Ruben Harutyunyan - Duduk
 
Violin I
Limor Toren Immerman- Principal Concertmaster
Anna Kostyuchek - Associate Concertmaster
Ruzanna Sargsyan
Edgar Sandoval - Glendale Phil Director
Mihailo Krstic
Anna Kharazyan
 
Violin II
Hovhannes Megrikyan - Principal
Richard Adkins - Assistant Principal
Levon Mkrichyan
Katerina Kolesnik
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Viola
Laura Pearson - Principal
Stefan L. Smith - Assistant Principal
Michael Whitson
 
Violoncello
Maxim Velichkin - Principal
Joo Lee - Assistant Principal
 
Double Bass
Manuel Quintero - Principal
 
Percussion
Artashes Sinanyan - Principal Timpani
Jamie Strowbridge - Principal
Kristen Kang
Joseph Muskat
Lauren Kosty