Classical, genres

Flute concert

Friday, 12/01/2024 / 07:00 PM / Freiburg University of Music, Small Hall

Grigory Mordashov (flute) and Grigor Asmaryan (piano)

Performers

Grigory Mordashov → flute
Grigor Asmaryan → piano

Program

Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach → Solo Sonata in A minor Wq. 132 for solo flute
Brian Ferneyhough → "Cassandra's Dream Song" for flute solo
Sergei Prokofieff → Sonata in D major for flute and piano
Cesare Ciardi → Fantasia "Le Rossignol du Nord" op. 45 for flute and piano

Grigory Mordashov was born in 1982 in Samara, Russia. His extraordinary musical talent and potential was already evident as a child, and he won his first international competition for young flautists at the age of 14. He began his studies at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg and continued at the Karlsruhe State Academy of Music with Prof. Renate Greiss-Armin and at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin with Prof. Benoit Fromanger. He completed his diploma studies with distinction in Karlsruhe in 2006, followed by the soloist exam (postgraduate studies), which he also completed with distinction as a concert soloist. During his studies, he took part in various master classes with renowned professors, including Aurèle Nicolet, Barbara Gisler-Haase, Vincent Lucas and Mario Caroli. He was a scholarship holder of the Rotary Club, Lions Club and the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation. Due to his broad tonal color palette and his excellent musical intuition, Grigory Mordashov is one of the most talented flutists and musicians of his generation, which he has proven through his successful participation in numerous international competitions, such as the Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition in Denmark, where he won 3rd prize, and the Crusell International Flute Competition in Finland (2nd prize).
His musical passion encompasses both classical and contemporary music. His multifaceted musical and technical interpretation of Brian Ferneyhough's "Cassandra's Dream Song" convinced the jury of the Kobe International Flute Competition in Japan, for which he was awarded the special prize.
Grigory Mordashov began his career as an orchestral musician during his studies in St. Petersburg as a solo flutist in the youth orchestra of the Kirov-Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. In addition to his work in the theater's youth orchestra, he played as a guest solo flutist in various concerts, theater and ballet performances and CD recordings with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev. In 2008 he was substitute principal flute in the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg under the direction of Emmanuelle Krivine. He has also been a guest solo flutist in other renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne. Since 2009, Grigory Mordashov has been Deputy Principal Flute of the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern. He teaches at the Saarbrücken University of Music and has also successfully prepared numerous private students for university entrance examinations and competitions. He has given master classes in Germany, China, Korea and Russia.

Born in Erevan, Armenia, Grigor Asmaryan grew up in a family of musicians and began studying the piano at the age of four. He studied at the National Conservatory "Komitas" in Erevan, where he received his diploma in 2000. He then moved to France and continued his artistic training at the École normale de musique de Paris Alfred Cortot, where he graduated with the Diplôme supérieur d'exécution in 2003. He was awarded the Grand Prix at the Pierre Lantier International Competition in Paris in 1998 and a special prize at the "Flame" International Competition in Paris in 2006. He was also a finalist at the Francis Poulenc International Competition in Limoges in 2002.
Grigor Asmaryan has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Armenia, Russia, Romania, Israel, Finland, Ukraine, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany and France. He was a guest artist at the New Interpretation Course at the European Music Academy in Bonn, at the Festival Pianos à Enghien, at the Festival d'Anzy le Duc and at the Festival de Musique de Pontlevoy, France. Grigor Asmaryan studied chamber music with Prof. Tatevik Mokatsian at the Hochschule für Musik Saar. Since then he has worked with musicians such as David Grimal, Eduard Brunner, Johannes Gmeinder and members of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern. He is a regular guest at the International Chamber Music Week at the Thuringian Summer Academy, the Starnberg Music Days and the Music Days of the Olympiaregion Seefeld in Austria. He has held a teaching position at the Saar University of Music since 2011 and has been employed there as a teacher for special tasks for instrumental accompaniment and piano as a minor subject since 2017.