# At Last, Part 2: The Finest, Authoritative Hovhaness PC #1, Lousadzak



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The definitive recording of _Lousadzak_, with Maro Ajemian and the MGM Orchestra conducted by Carlos Surinach. Maro Ajemian premiered this concerto; others, incuding Keith Jarrett, have performed it but never got it right, IMO, the way Ajemian does here. YouTube again to the rescue with this historic recording.


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

Thank you! I think I like this recording better than the one I have, which has the following info: Martin Berkofsky & Nikolai Zherenkov & Globalis Symphony Orchestra & Konstantin Krimetz.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

T Son of Ander said:


> Thank you! I think I like this recording better than the one I have, which has the following info: Martin Berkofsky & Nikolai Zherenkov & Globalis Symphony Orchestra & Konstantin Krimetz.


I'm glad you appreciate the Ajemian/Surinach recording. It is old, on vinyl, and from back in the day (1950s) when MGM first began their experiment with offering early Hovhaness as their "breakthrough" contemporary composer. As the one who premiered the concerto and first recorded it, Ajemian's reading reflects Hovhaness' intention, especially about tempi, where other readings go off the track for me. I would love to see the original tape of this recording located and remastered, and reissued as a CD.

I don't know if you saw a previous thread I posted in the Non-Classical subforum about the North African littoral musical genre called Gharnati, but I found Lousadzak to be marvelously, remarkably similar to Gharnati, with its melody over a pulsating drone background (similar to many other "exotic" musics).


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

(Duplicate Post)


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