Ars lunga

Ars lunga, Piano-Cello duo has been established in 2009 in Yerevan, Armenia, by two leading Armenian artists cellist Aram Talalyan and pianist Julietta Vardanyan, since then the group has performed numerous recitals across Armenia, CIS countries, Far and Near East, Europe, Iran, participating in such well-known festivals as "The Return festival", "National Cello Festival" in Yerevan (Armenia) and "Fajr Festival" in Tehran (Iran), "Moscow Autumn" modern music festival, Contemporary Music Festival (Ukraine), Martisor Festival (Moldova), “Deia music festival (Spain)” and many others. “Ars lunga” performed at such prestigious locations as Oji Hall (Tokyo), Moscow Composers Hall, Utrecht Conservatory, Vahdad Hall (Tehran), Organ Hall (Cisnau, Moldova) etc. Since 2011 “Ars lunga” is active as NGO registered in Yerevan, Armenia.

A number of well-known composers wrote pieces dedicated to Duo "ArsLunga":

• Hooshyar Khayam (Iran)
• Suren Zakaryan (Armenia)
• Artyom Kokzhaev(Russia
• Haig Boyadjian (USA)
• Jakov Jakoulov (USA)
• Rebecca Ashooghian(Iran)
• Mikhail Kokzhaev(Armenia)

During 2012–2013 season duo has recorded live on Armenian Television – 3 sets of complete music for cello and piano by Robert Schumann, Aram Khachaturian and Tigran Mansurian. Repertoire of the group is spreading from original Baroque compositions of 17th-18th centuries (with harpsichord or organ instead of piano) to complete sets of standard Classical and Romantic works like: Beethoven: complete sonatas and Variations, Schumann: complete pieces, Mendelssohn: complete works, Brahms: complete sonatas, etc.

In 2013 “Ars lunga” NGO completed and produced a large scale recording project: “Anthology of Armenian music for cello and piano”. It contains practically entire music from 1900 till nowadays written for piano and cello by composers of Armenian origin living in and outside motherland. Album contains 12 CDs and 60 compositions. This album has been spread worldwide and can be found in listening libraries of major universities and conservatories of USA, Russia, Germany, Canada, Near and Far East countries, Library of Congress (USA), as well as in several European Public Radio stations and CIS countries Composer Unions. In January 2015 duo has recorded complete works of Father Komitas (Soghomon Soghomonyan) arranged for cello and piano. Recording was dedicated to victims of 1915 Armenian Genocide (General sponsor- Grand Lodge of Armenia). Presently Duo “Ars lunga” is working on “Anthology of Armenian trio” recording project with several Armenian violinists who live across the world.[1]

Main perspective and goals of Duo "Ars lunga" is to perform and record contemporary music of Armenian composers along with music of the world.[2]