News
2012 December 24, Monday 18:00
"Veratsnund" CD official release
Naregatsi Arts Institute wraps up the passing year with the release of the second CD of Naregatsi Folk Instruments Ensemble, the new musical album named "Veratsnund".
The CD was released back in October, right before the European concert tours in Stuttgart, Hanau and Cologne (Germany). The ensemble charmed the European audience with a rich concert program, full of new and exceptionally attractive performances, newly-made musical arrangements and premieres.
The official presentation of the CD took place on December 24, at Naregatsi Art Institute,
That day, the ensemble performed the best musical pieces from the new album including transformations of diverse types of music ranging from national, bardic, folk and sacred Armenian songs, as well as Armenian classical music.
The official host of the release ceremony was popular folklorist, ethnographer Arusyak Sahakyan, whose proficient and illustrative interpretations provided unique sense of artistism and perception to the event.
The recording and release of the album was fulfilled under the auspices of Naregatsi Art Institute as part of its charitable publishing activities. The album is one among the many CDs already sponsored and produced by the Institute. As such, the enterprise is part and parcel of Naregatsi’s vision, and the mission thereof, to contribute to the preservation, promotion and development of Armenian culture.
For their first released album, Naregatsi Folk Instruments Ensemble won the prestigious Best Folk Album of the Year title at the Armenian National Music Awards, 2010.
Since its foundation, the Ensemble has been run under the artistic direction of well known Tar player and conductor Hovik Sahakian, who has been a high-qualified Tar player and conductor at Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas. Moreover, Hovik Sahakian has also been the first Tar player of Armenian Orchestra of Folk Instruments, as well as the artistic director of at NAI Folk Instruments Ensemble, musical schools after Barsegh Kanachyan and Stepan Jrbashyan.
The aim of the Naregatsi folk Instruments ensemble is the reawakening of love and appreciation of Armenian folk music and instruments among younger generations and the mission of their involvement as performers of folk music.
The bases of the ensemble were laid back in March of 2005 under the auspices of NAI, when free Tar and Kamancha classes were offered at the Naregatsi Art Institute. Back then, all folk instruments classes of RA music schools were paid and NAI announced a special scholarship in order to ignite participation and interest among young performers.
Today, Naregatsi Folk Instruments Ensemble has a very rich biography full of concerts and other activities. Since its premiere in August 27th, 2008, the Ensemble has performed in a number of national and international stages of Yerevan, regions of Armenia and Artsakh, Lyon, Toulouse, Paris, Sarla, Kahor, Roman, Saint Shamas cities of France, Geneva, Zurich, Lugano cities of Geneva, and only recently in Sttutgard, Hannau, Cologne cities of Germany.
