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The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra (ASSO), led by its artistic director Sergey Smbatyan, and world-renowned violinist Sergey Khachatryan will perform great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto at the Dubai Opera on September 5 within the framework of the InClassica International Music Festival.

Speaking to the Panorama.am correspondent, ASSO Director Sargis Balbabyan said according to their information, Khachaturian's Violin Concerto will be performed for the first time at the Dubai Opera and in the UAE in general.

He strongly belives that it will be warmly welcomed by the foreign audience.

Sargis Balbabyan also said that Mussorgsky’s " Pictures at an Exhibition" will also be performed during the concert slated for September 5.

"This is an important concert for our orchestra, because it is going to perform such a big program after the pandemic. I am convinced that this time as well the orchestra will perform brilliantly," he said.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra is participating in the 10th InClassica International Music Festival being held in Dubai from August 28 to September 26. The festival is organized by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) in partnership with the SAMIT Event Group.

Within the framework of the festival, the second grand edition of the “Classic Piano” International Piano Competition for young pianists is being held, the participants of the 3rd and 4th rounds of which are to perform with the State Symphony Orchestra.

Touching upon the activities of the orchestra and its participation in the InClassica Festival, Sargis Balbabyan said that it is not the first time that the ASSO has held concerts in the United Arab Emirates. He said they had performed at the Dubai Opera before the coronavirus pandemic.

Referring to the cooperation with the European Foundation for Support of Culture, he noted that the orchestra took part in the Malta International Music Festival 2018 at the invitation of the foundation. Moreover, ASSO performed as the official resident orchestra at the festival. The cooperation with the European Foundation was not limited to this, he said.

"The foundation is one of the key partners and supporters of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. The vivid evidence of that is the concerts organized in 2020," Balbabyan underlined.

In his words, with the support of the European Foundation for Support of Culture and Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra started its 2020 concert season with a concert tour across Europe, presenting Armenian music. In particular, John Ter-Tatevosian's Symphony No. 2 "The Fate of Man", which is one of the best Armenian musical compositions of the 20th century, was performed outside Armenia for the first time. The symphony by Ter-Tatevosian was warmly welcomed by the European audiece.

"It was a great achievement, because the composition was performed in Europe for the first time. The recordings of that performance will soon be available on the online channels of classical music,” he said.

Incidentally, world-famous violinist Maxim Vengerov shared the stage with the Armenian orchestra during the concerts in Europe, performing compositions by Max Bruch, Maurice Ravel and others.

Speaking about the 10th InClassica International Music Festival, Sargis Balbabyan described it a truly “unprecedented event” against the background of developments taking place all over the world, adding after the pandemic it is a great opportunity for world-renowned musicians and orchestras to take part in such a big music event.

"Every single day, lovers of classical music have the opportunity to listen to the best soloists and orchestras of the world, who perform famous pieces by Russian and European composers. Presenting the works of Armenian composers to foreign audiences is of high importance to our orchestra. We are glad to be here and be able to present the Armenian performing art," he said.