background
Komitas, born Soghomon Soghomonyan on Sept. 26, 1869 in Koutina, Anatolia (now Turkey), was an influential Armenian composer and musician. His parents were musically gifted, but he lost his mother young and later his father, leaving him orphaned. Komitas was noticed by a priest and taken to Echmiadzin Church Seminary to study. He excelled in music and eventually became a priest and later an archimandrite. Komitas went to Berlin to continue his music studies and then returned to Armenia, where he played an important role in the development of Armenian church music and folk songs. Due to conflicts with the church, he moved to Constantinople, where he founded a mixed choir.
The central feature of Komitas’ creative work is his polyphony, with which he enriched Armenian folk music through a sophisticated fusion of world music styles and the original, expressive forms of Armenian folk art.
Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935): XIII. Christ in our Midst is arranged by composer Vache Sharafyan. This work as well as other movements from Divine Liturgy were performed by Cappella Amsterdam led by conductor Leonard Evers in concert series Aleppo. At the request of Cappella Amsterdam, the concert was filmed by production company MILLK in De Vereeniging, Nijmegen. The audio is recorded by A-A-AUDIO.
lyrics
Qristos i mej mer haytnetsav,
Vor enn Asvatz ast bazmetsav.
khaghaghutean dzayn hnchetsav,
surb voghjuyni hraman tevav,
yekeghetsis mi andzn yeghev
hambuyrs hod lman tevav
Tshnamutyunn herratsav
sern hendhanures spretsav.
Ard, pashtonyayq bardzreal
ezdzayn tuq zorhnutyun i miberan
miasnakan Astvatzutean vorum srovbeqn and Srbaban.
performers
Cappella Amsterdam
Leonard Evers conductor
funds
This concert series was made possible through the generous support of the Fonds Podiumkunsten, the City of Amsterdam, and Ammodo. Without their contribution, this project would not have been possible, and we are deeply grateful for their trust and support.
