Aram Khachaturian was devoted to ballet music and produced two masterpieces of the genre – Spartacus and Gayaneh. Distinguished by indelible thematic beauty of which the ‘Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia’ is a perfect example, the ballets are symphonic in conception and, in the case of Gayaneh, marked by the use of leitmotifs. The Masquerade Suite is a richly contrasted theatre score. These sensitive piano arrangements preserve the very essence of Khachaturian’s music, maintaining the texture and clarity of the original orchestral scores. Mikael Ayrapetyan is the world’s leading exponent of Armenian piano music and his Grand Piano recordings of music from his homeland have been met with universal admiration.

Mikael Ayrapetyan has done much to popularise Armenian classical music all over the world with his Secrets of Armenia musical project, which began during his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After completing his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Ayrapetyan performed widely in many countries, receiving an enthusiastic response from critics and audiences alike. His repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the contemporary and includes rarely performed works by Armenian composers, such as Tigranian, Chukhadjian, Komitas, Melikian, Spendiarian, Barkhudarian, Stepanian, Khachaturian, Babajanian, Arutiunian, Abrahamian, Bagdasarian, Avetisian, Mirzoyan, Amirkhanian and many others. He was awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Armenia for his outstanding contribution to the development and popularisation of Armenian classical music.