BACKGROUND TO…

Babadjanian’s Heroic Ballad for Piano & Orchestra

Though the darling of the Moscow music scene and bestowed with the USSR’S highest honours – including the Order of Lenin – Arno Babadjanian would never be separated from Armenia. His deep love for his homeland is at the heart of many of his works, including this monumental piece for piano and orchestra. Composed and published in 1950 during a stay in Yerevan, the work features unpredictable rhythms and is imbued with Babadjanian’s personality. The piece won the Stalin Prize in 1951.