LEBANESE PIANO MUSIC

FULEIHAN • GELALIAN • H. KHOURY • BAZ • SUCCAR

TATIANA PRIMAK-KHOURY

“Living in Lebanon I realized how rich and colorful its culture is. There, I was thrilled to find wonderful, complex and attractive music written by outstanding local composers. I was lucky to meet personally most of the composers presented on this disk. Besides the scores, they have given me a lot of advice and guidance on their works and this was a unique and precious aspect in preparing this recording. I think the idea of showing several composers on this disk is a very true reflection of the Lebanese multi-confessional and multicultural society. It could be said that this recording is the first serious attempt to draw our attention to the academic music of Lebanon which deserves to be heard and enjoyed worldwide.” – Tatiana Primak-Khoury

With the sea to the West and the Orient to the East, Lebanon is located exactly where both worlds meet. A remarkable blend of these influences can be heard in this exploration of three generations of Lebanese music, from Toufic Succar’s classically carefree Variations and Georges Baz’s “commemoration of Impressionism”, via the uncompromising modernity of Boghos Gelalian’s turbulent Toccata and Houtaf Khoury’s Third Sonata that represents “life in a country where politics shatter every dream.” The emotional intensity of these pieces reflects both a unique national temperament and the dramatic times in which they were written.

TATIANA PRIMAK-KHOURY

The Ukrainian-Lebanese pianist TATIANA PRIMAK-KHOURY began her concert career in her native Ukraine before extending her activities to concerts in Europe, America and the Middle East. A laureate of national and international piano competitions in Ukraine, she has a master’s degree from the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music in Kiev. In 1998 she moved to Lebanon and since then has been committed to expanding the boundaries of traditional repertoire, constantly searching and adding new contemporary pieces, devoting her interest to performing rarely heard works by Ukrainian and Lebanese composers. Married to Lebanese composer Houtaf Khoury, she has given several premières of his piano works including his Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Ukrainian National Orchestra in 1996, Piano Concerto No. 2 “Angel of light” with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in 2012, three piano sonatas and other works. Tatiana Primak-Khoury serves as an Artist-in-residence at the University of Balamand and teaches at the National Lebanese Conservatory of Music.