Mikael Tariverdiev – Aria from “Cassandra”, Op. 91 | Vladimir Magalashvili | Seifert Organ Berlin

Mikael Tariverdiev (1931–1996) Concerto No. 1 for Organ “Cassandra”, Op. 91 (1985) II. Aria — Andante pastorale Vladimir Magalashvili — organ St. Matthias, Berlin-Schöneberg Great Seifert Organ Romanus Seifert & Sohn, 1958 / enlarged 1974 4 manuals · 77 stops · 5,613 pipes Recorded in 2021 by Knut Becker Mikael Tariverdiev was born in Tbilisi in 1931 to an Armenian family and later studied composition with Aram Khachaturian at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow. Internationally, he is best known for his film music — he wrote music for more than 130 films, including the Soviet classics Seventeen Moments of Spring and The Irony of Fate — but his concert and organ music reveals another, less widely known side of his work. His First Organ Concerto, Cassandra, Op. 91, was written in 1985. During a visit to West Berlin, Tariverdiev encountered a series of paintings entitled Cassandra by the West Berlin artist Christoph Niess. The image of Cassandra — the prophetess of Greek mythology who foresaw the fall of Troy but was doomed never to be believed — deeply affected him. In Niess’s paintings, Tariverdiev saw Cassandra as a warning to the modern world about the threat of war, and after returning to Moscow he wanted to express the same idea in music. There is also a remarkable geographical connection to this recording: St. Matthias stands in Berlin-Schöneberg, which itself formed part of West Berlin during the years of the divided city. The Aria is the second movement of the concerto and forms its quiet, meditative centre, built around a long, expressive melodic line and an unusually intimate use of the organ. This performance was recorded on the monumental Seifert organ of St. Matthias — one of Berlin’s largest church organs, with 4 manuals, 77 stops and 5,613 pipes. St. Matthias also has an interesting connection with the French organ tradition. Jean Guillou, a pupil of Marcel Dupré, lived in Berlin from 1958 to 1963 and gave an organ recital at St. Matthias on 20 January 1963. More about Vladimir Magalashvili: https://magalashvili.com