Orchestra Without Border’s December 12^th concert, “Celestial Fantasies: Music of the Armenian Highlands and Diaspora” at St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown, opened with Alan Hovhaness’s Celestial Fantasy (1944). The piece begins with an eight-bar theme built from the interval of a second. In imitative, but also conversational fashion, section A features the theme heard in the celli and violas. At section B we hear four measures, which begin with a descending second in a dotted rhythm. Again, the motion is essentially scalar. Here all sections participate in an interweaving of thematic material. The atmosphere is simple and noble. The beauty of the performance lay in each section’s ability to show off its own strengths while sticking to the dynamics and phrasing demanded by the composer. Conductor Luca Antonucci set the tempi as one would expect, but this listener/observer particularly enjoyed his left-hand cues, which caught every musical detail. Cohesiveness and unity ruled. Section A is restated more or less as heard at the beginning. When B returns, however, the B theme is elaborated and built on in a way we have not yet heard. JS Bach probably would have been impressed to see a mixture of fugue and fantasia in this section. The theme is inverted, diminished, augmented, cut up and then pieced back together. Celestial Fantasy ends triumphantly with the basic motif stated in octaves.

From the first notes, it was clear that Sinfonietta (1966), by Soviet-Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian, is as much about texture, color and timbre as it is about melody and harmony. Prelude, opens with sharply etched intervals that create instability and dissonance. The chords in the lower strings which underpin this activity also suggest instability and unease. The excitement continues as sections exchange motifs and constantly switch “melodic” vs “harmonic” roles. The orchestra played with the rhythmic precision and crisp articulation that is required, resulting in a difficult, unmusical movement providing a worthy listening experience. In Arioso, the first violins opens with a melancholic, songful stepwise melody. Second violins provide a counter melody in the same vein. Pizzicato in the celli and basses contribute to the spare atmosphere. Well-placed and prolonged trills in the upper strings add to the loneliness. The orchestra understood the resigned mood and communicated it well. Intermezzo Pizzicato, still in the same psychological vein, is the piece’s most compact experiment in texture. Against a backdrop of pizzicati, trills, and glissandi, a slow, principally stepwise solo cello line emerges. José Quezada Márquez’s unadorned manner provided the perfect complement to a busy and complex movement. The Intermezzo ends with a solo violin harmonic on a high G sharp.

The Finale announces itself confidently with staccato octaves in all instruments. We then hear passages of scurrying 16^th notes where the sections seem to chase one another. A delightful study in orchestral color, the tone quality of each section is revealed in turn. Cantabile lines in the violins add to the kaleidoscopic display. A four-bar violin solo, played with celestial beauty by Jackie Bensen, broke the spell. Soon, however, we are back at the chase. The relentless activity and strong contrasts bring to mind to music of Shostakovich. Under Antonucci’s clear guidance, the orchestra met contrasting musical and emotional demands with ease.

The concert concluded with 12 pieces based on folk song and dance transcriptions Komitas Vartabed made by in his efforts to document the folk music of Armenia. Sergei Aslamazyan later transcribed the 12 for string quartet; on this occasion we heard Antonucci’s string orchestra version thereof. Singer Tamar Panossian provided translations of the lyrics from Armenian specifically for this event. Local clergy and individuals from the Watertown Armenian community read the poems aloud, first in Armenian, then in English. A performance of the related song followed each reading. The set, with titles such as “Dear Shoger”, “She’s Slender Like a Plane Tree”, “Spring” and “Overcast Day” pays homage to nature and the human role therein. Individuals from the Sayat Nova Dance Company danced in Krounk (The Crane) which portrayed exile and a longing for return to one’s homeland. The company also choreographed a second set of four dancers for Kak’avi erg (Song of the Partridge), a short, cheerful work which references bird song. In both (the only two of the set which were choreographed) the dances were simple with an emphasis on raised arms, hand gestures and stepping motion. The four danced in a line or circled around one another.  Of the remaining folk songs (which were not accompanied by dance), pleasant, companionable Khumar (Dreamy), stood out. Well suited to couples, the music fit the courtship described in the text. The set ended with Habrban, an ode to marriage and family life. The orchestra was not as taut or precise in the Komitas/Aslamazyan as it was in the preceding pieces, but a jaunty spirit and joy nonetheless came through.

Attendees were invited to join the bountiful reception that fittingly concluded this glowing display of ethnomusicological pride.

Retired medical biology researcher Dinah Bodkin is a serious amateur pianist and mother of Groupmuse founder Sam Bodkin.