Violinist Nikolay Madoyan to perform at West Road Concert Hall
Violinist Nikolay Madoyan will be performing a solo recital of several timeless masterpieces at West Road Concert hall in Cambridge in a programme titled “Virtuoso Violin Classics”.
The acclaimed Armenian musician has chosen an eclectic programme that opens with Bach’s Partita No. 2, followed by Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2, which is inspired by Bach's Prelude from the E-major Partita.
He is also bringing an Armenian flavour to the evening with Khachaturian’s Adagio and the lyrical Uzundara dance by Khachaturian that is traditionally performed by women as a part of the wedding rite.
Nikolay told the Cambridge Independent: “I'm going to play two Armenian pieces by Khatchaturian from his famous ballet called Gayane. Adagio was used, by the way, in the film of Stanley Kubrick, 2001 A Space Odyssey. It's a very, very graceful, Armenian, elegant dance with different colours. I'm going to play a particular transcription for solo violin, and afterwards I will play the Uzundara, which is based on motifs from Armenian folk dance. As part of my self-identity, I always try to involve Armenian pieces in my programme.”
He added that he had performed Bach’s Partita No. 2 “many times” and had played all six for an Armenian national broadcast.
The programme also includes Paganini, whose Variations on "God Save the King" showcase his groundbreaking approach to violin technique.
Nikolay said: “This piece is supposed to be one of the most difficult pieces for violin, if not most difficult. He composed it when he was, I think, 47 years old, for his British tour. There are two versions, one for the orchestra and a solo version, which is what I will play.”
The recital concludes with Caprice Farewell, a piece dedicated to composer Eduard Eliason, whom Paganini met in London. And Nikolay promises some “surprises” at the end, which he hints will have an Armenian flavour.
Nikolay has performed with the world's leading orchestras, including the London Sinfonietta, English Chamber Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, and many more.
Recently he has toured in Germany alongside conductor Philipp Amelung and NCOA, as well as in Italy with conductor Gianluca Marciano and the Senocrito Festival Orchestra.
His latest world tour sees him performing the 24 Caprices by Niccolò Paganini in prestigious venues such as Berliner Philharmonie and Sala Verdi amongst many.
He is grateful to his parents for insisting he learn an instrument but says his career could have gone in a different direction. “My parents wanted me to study piano,” he said.
“But the piano class was so full, and they suggested that I study the violin, so it was a lucky choice.”
Virtuoso Violin Classics: Nikolay Madoyan in Cambridge, West Road Concert Hall, Friday, February 7. Book Tickets: westroad.org/whats-on/armenian-society-violin