Alexander Arutjunjan

Suite on Folk Tunes

I dedicated this Suite to the memory of my unforgettable Granny Varsenik Kevorkian Ter-Davtian. The first three movements were written on July 15-16 1978 in Dilijan, a resort and home town of many famous composers in Armenia. The fourth movement was composed in Yerevan in September of the same year. In the spring of 1980 I have produced the final edition of the work. The piece was commissioned by and written for an armenian woodwind quintet which disbanded before the first performance due to the passing of its leader. The somewhat belated premiere took place in 1987 in Riga, capital of Latvia, by the woodwind quintet of the Riga Symphony Orchestra. Alexandre Arutiunian, Yerevan, May 2007