Grigoryan Brothers' Australian Tour Kicks Off Today, 7/7

"Tchaikovsky's The Seasons has been on the Grigoryan family 'to do list' for 15 years," says Slava Grigoryan. "Many years ago I'd performed a few movements from The Seasons which dad had arranged for me but you really need two guitars to cover the full dynamic range and detail. Since then Leonard and I have been planning to record the complete set."

The Seasons, a twelve-movement composition written for solo piano by the iconic Russian composer, has at last been arranged for two guitars by Edward Grigoryan for his sons Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, who together are one of the world's leading guitar duos. The CD recording was released June 29.

"For many years Slava and I have wanted to breathe new life into classical guitar repertoire," says Leonard. "While in the past we've performed Spanish and French piano compositions that have been transcribed for two guitars, this arrangement of The Seasons is quite unique."

"This guitar transition is a rare occurrence with Russian piano music, so I think when people hear this we might see it happening more and more," adds Slava. "Dad's arrangement is nothing short of stunning, retaining what makes it a masterpiece, while presenting it in a totally different setting and giving it a new voice."

The new CD includes the complete The Seasons, with its movements characterising the twelve months of the year. These mini-melodic showpieces were written around the time Tchaikovsky was composing the ballet Swan Lake and were commissioned to be printed as monthly installments for readers of the music magazine Nouvellist in 1876.

On this tour, Slava and Leonard Will perform highlights from The Seasons as well as a selection of their favourite pieces. This will include compositions from all corners of the world and pieces that display their improvisational skills. While the brothers have both forged careers that demonstrate great skill across a number of musical genres, The Seasons CD and tour marks a return to a more classical setting, whilst still pushing the limits of what two classical guitars can accomplish together.

The Grigoryan Brothers are Australia's leading and favourite guitar duo. In addition to their individual careers and collaborations with other artists, as the Grigoryan Brothers they have recorded five albums, been nominated for numerous ARIA Awards and undertaken international tours through Europe, USA, UK, Asia, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, as well as many national tours.

CD available from all good music stores and www.whichwaymusic.com. Distributed by Fuse Music (www.fusemusic.com.au). Full tour, ticketing & booking details can also be found at www.whichwaymusic.com. Find the duo on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/grigoryanbrothers.

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