Symphony No.21 "Etchmiadzin" - Alan Hovhaness

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alan Hovhaness. I - Andante maestoso - Lento maestoso: 0:00 II - Pavana. Adagio: 5:44 III - Andante espressivo - Largo maestoso - Andante dolce - Molto maestoso: 8:20 Hovhaness' Symphony No.21 was composed in 1968. It is the result of a request from an altruistic Armenian patriot called Haik Kavookjian, in honor of His Holiness Vasken I, Catholicos of all Armenians. The subtitle refers to Etchmiadzin, the religious capital of Armenia, with it's main monument being the cathedral, considered the oldest in the world, originally built by Saint Gregory between 301 and 303 A.D. The hierarchical head of the Armenian Church, its main bishop, is called Catholicos, which means universal bishop. His residence is the holy city of Etchmiadzin, occupying the chair of Saint Gregory, the first bishop. His Holiness Vasken I held the chair of Saint Gregory as Caholicos from 1955 to 1994, achieving a significant degree of independence within the communist regime of the time. He fought against atheism, achieving the rebirth of the Republic of Armenia, ending long decades of persecution. The first movement is written in form of a processional. Opens with a solemn theme in form of an Armenian hymn, being presented by the strings and supported by percussion. This hymn is developed and ornamented through solos of the trumpets. The strings take it, slowly rising towards a dissonant climax. A firm coda ends the movement. The second movement is a brief and monothematic pavane. The strings introduce an static slow dance theme of oriental flavour, supported by the rhythms of timpani and string's pizzicatos. The trumpet takes it solemnly. Instead of a coda, the movement ends by simply cutting off the background rhythms. The third movement is divided in three sections. The first one opens with a solemn, almost heavenly theme on the strings, a musical representation of Mount Ararat, a sacred mountain for Armenians. The second section opens with the trumpet leading a new processional based on said theme, accompanied by the tubular bells. The third sections starts with a widely lyrical theme in form of a chorale, presented by the strings. The trumpet reappears, this time leading the chorale in a more brilliant and hopeful manner. It tells us about the heroism of the Armenian priests. An inmense coda, after which slowly fades away, ends the whole work. A symphony of religious characteristics that tells us about the Armenian Church. The priests of Etchmiadzin during the time of war did not want to leave the church when the Armenian army requested it. They kept ringing loudly all the bells, which gave the army enough strength to be able to defeat the invaders of their homeland. Picture: "Etchmiadzin Cathedral" (1870) by an unknown European artist. Musical analysis written mostly by myself. Sources: https://bit.ly/2Vi2oZa and https://bit.ly/3rH3TMP