Vardan Mamikonian - Press
PRESENTATION RECORDING PROGRAMMES VIDEOS DIARY
Bachtrack
From rising stars to forgotten masters: the generous ‘Lisztomanias’ in Châteauroux
By Alain Lompech, 23 October 2025
...The previous evening, on the main stage at Equinoxe, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia and its conductor Vahan Mardirossian accompanied Vardan Mamikonian in Liszt’s extremely rare *Malédiction* and Chopin’s *Andante spianato* and *Grande Polonaise brillante*. Two early works. The Hungarian composer’s piece, heralding the music to come, begins like Stravinsky and ends like Wagner, after paying homage to Berlioz… The piece by the Polish composer, fresh from settling in Paris, is worldly and effusive following an introduction one could never have imagined would end in trills. Mamikonian has the sound of Gilels, the elegance of Freire… And it is infuriating not to see him featured in concert and recital series in Paris and the provinces: all his peers know who he is…
