“Simonyan is a true virtuoso; his playing has a natural, unforced
authority and, among other accomplishments, his clear, brilliant
spiccato bowing is heard to great effect in the finales of both
concertos...this is a performance [of the Barber] of notable power,
Simonyan's confident presence - aided by strong support from Kristjan
Järvi and the LSO - generating considerable intensity as the climactic
moments approach...All in all, a most impressive debut.” --Gramophone
Magazine, February 2012
“Simonyan's intention was to bring out the qualities that embody the
cultural roots of each composer: thus, he commissioned a new cadenza for
Khachaturian's concerto by Artur Avanesov, to emphasise the Armenian
flavour, and treated the dashing final movement of Barber's concerto in a
looser manner than usual, suggestive of rustic American fiddling.”
--The Independent, 20th January 2012
