Michel Petrossian’s Works Brought to Italy as ModComFest 2025 Opens in Style
Titled Two Voices, One Flame, the concert featured a dazzling programme performed by visionary violinist Roman Kim and acclaimed pianist Giuliano Mazzoccante, easily setting the tone for what promises to be a landmark edition of the festival.
“It’s the greatest privilege to have such an exposure”, Petrossian said at the onset of the festival, “because this is something rare, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity since it permits me to gain a wider perspective of what I have done, to put my works into perspective and see where my strengths are, or maybe where things can be done differently.”
“It’s also an opportunity to premiere some new pieces”, he continued, “like ‘Armenian Rock’ that saw its world premiere here in Chieti yesterday, and it allows me to see how the public reacts, and how audiences respond, which is invaluable, especially with an international audience like this!”
Indeed, across the course of the evening, the attention was centred around the contemporary composer’s works, with two of his compositions being presented as part of the concert programme, namely “Stilleven”, a composition for solo violin, and the aforementioned “Armenian Rock”, for violin and piano. Kim, who was given the responsibility of performing the first piece to the audience in Italy, deftly brought Petrossian’s evocative sound world to life, navigating the subtle textures and contrasts that characterise his writing with his inimitable flair, before joining up with Mazzoccante to present the first-ever performance of “Armenian Rock”, where Mazzoccante’s sensitive pianism provided the perfect counterpart to Kim’s expressive violin lines, demonstrating the duo’s remarkable synergy and musical partnership.
“The responsibility is so big because we’re talking about a great composer and a great personality”, Mazzoccante remarked. “His music is very complex but somehow it’s also very understandable to me, and I love to play this music! Of course it’s not easy but when things are not easy we give much more attention to what we are doing, and I have to say that for me it’s a big honour, a big responsibility, but also a big pleasure to perform this music, because every time I play this music, whether in concert, or in rehearsal, I discover something new!”
From his end, meanwhile, Petrossian declares that “the musicians were both wonderful! It was interesting to connect with Guliano Mazzoccante who is a brilliant musician and also the personality of this city, connecting to everyone, and then Roman Kim is a fantastic virtuoso, and even though this is not the kind of music that he practices everyday, as he said himself, he adapted himself wonderfully to ‘Stilleven’. He also played an encore with references to contemporary pop music which really complemented ‘Armenian Rock’, which is connected to my love of progressive rock. We are mixing styles; resolutely contemporary music as far as I am concerned but at the same time open to the world, to the classical tradition but also the rock and pop tradition which I incorporate in my music as the composers of the past did with the contemporary music of their time”.
“It was also a very nice experience to see how the public responded”, the composer added. “I think that contemporary music isn’t frequently presented in this very famous theatre, but I was given the occasion to say a couple of words in Italian to present works, and then to connect with the audience after the performance, and it was very interesting to see how different audiences can respond to my pieces.”
The theatre in question, which was founded in 1818 and is designated as one of Italy’s Theatres of Tradition, formed the perfect backdrop for the evening, with Petrossian being renowned as a composer who often draws inspiration from ancient civilisations, while its storied walls provided a marked contrast to the works being performed, as the maestro himself observed.
“It was amazing to see my work performed at the Teatro Marrucino because my music is rooted in this continuity with tradition and I’m really interested in ancient civilisations – I’ve travelled the world and drew inspiration from various cultures – and of course, to be performed in one of the oldest theatres in Italy is a thrill. Curiously enough, though, my music, especially the premiere of “Armenian Rock”, was turned more to the future than the past to some extent, being inspired by progressive rock, so this contrast between Chieti, this ancient place, and the modernity of my music and its connection with contemporary popular music was amazing. Contrast tends to reveal light, as they say, and I think there was something of this for a public that is not that used to modernity. For them, it was a way to connect in an amazing way, so I enjoyed it a lot.”
ModComFest President Konstantin Ishkhanov was similarly effusive in his reaction, proudly declaring that “I could not be happier to see ModComFest 2025 begin with such a vibrant and moving evening here in Chieti. Our mission has always been to shine a light on the creativity of composers working today, and Michel Petrossian embodies this vision perfectly, weaving the past and present together in his music. The energy and artistry we witnessed tonight capture exactly what this festival is about, and that is celebrating innovation, passion, and the enduring power of classical music for years to come!”
Following this opening evening, audiences across Europe can now look forward to five more entries in the festival’s programme, with ModComFest set to move to France for four stops before returning to Italy to conclude.
“I really cannot single out one preference to another”, Petrossian said about the upcoming concerts, “because the most interesting thing, and that’s the greatest opportunity I have with this festival, is to see how pieces can dialogue with each other, like different gems on the same diadem, even if they weren’t crafted in this way, and it’s very interesting for me to hear pieces that have been performed many times again with a very different background; it is a way to feel the living aspect of my music”.
“There are many thrilling moments to come”, he continued. “We are very happy to have something special on the 28th of September, because there is a film that has been made about my work in the realm of film music by Bernard Sasia, and it's another way for audiences to delve deep into the creative process. And in the same concert we will have the ‘Vénus de Lespugue’ for viola solo, which is maybe one of the most complicated and demanding pieces that I've ever written for Karine Lethiec, who will be presenting it.”
“Then there is the concerto for cello on 2nd October”, he added, “which has never been performed in public before. I'm so happy to work with Léo Margue for this; he is an incredible conductor, who I've worked with many times. He's a very good friend of mine and we are really connected aesthetically, humanly, and philosophically about music. I've also been given the opportunity to connect with many soloists who will play on October 2nd, they're all incredible and all very eager to give their very best, and I can happily put all my faith in them because they are really great performers in every way”.
“After that comes maybe the most complete spectacle - our ballet, ‘Sept, les anges de Sinjar’, which I wrote with Aram Hovhanissyan, and which will be directed by Bruno Mantovani who is a great composer, conductor, and director of the Paris Conservatory. It was presented in a very prestigious venue three years ago in Monaco; we played it again in Avignon’s opera, and now it will be the third representation in this great theatre at Saint-Maur, and it's going to be a wonderful experience! Then we'll be concluding with a last concert in Italy, bringing the festival to a complete circle since we started in Chieti, and that's very exciting for me as well.”
As all eyes now turn to France, Two Voices, One Flame, thanks to the efforts of Kim, Mazzoccante, and of course, Michel Petrossian himself, has managed to deliver an opening night that seamlessly wove together historical masterpieces, contemporary innovations, and original creations, embodying the ethos of ModComFest itself. With the Composer-in-Residence’s hand featuring heavily across the days and weeks to come, audiences can look forward to more groundbreaking evenings as this unique festival continues its grand celebration of the great musical masters of our age.
