The Grigoryan Brothers’ album ‘The Seasons’ comprises twelve movements characterising the twelve months of the year. Originally written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for solo piano, ‘The Seasons’ has been arranged for two guitars by Slava and Leonard’s father Edward. The transition of a piece from solo piano to guitar duo is rare with Russian piano music and this arrangement is stunning, retaining the full essence of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, while presenting it in a totally different setting and giving it a new voice.
These colourful mini-melodic showpieces were written around the time Tchaikovsky was composing the ballet ‘Swan Lake’ and were commissioned as monthly instalments for readers of the music magazine Nouvellist in 1876.
Duos are common enough in the musical world, but sibling duos are much more unusual. There is no rivalry between Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, only the bonds of family and a love of music. Since their first acclaimed Australian tour in 2002, Slava and Leonard have captivated audiences worldwide with their guitar virtuosity. They have toured extensively throughout Australia and overseas: to Europe, the United States, Britain, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East, and performed with symphony orchestras and at many international festivals. They have released five previous duo albums (four of these have been nominated for ARIA awards - Australia’s prestigious music awards). Their previous album for Material Records, Distance, was a critically acclaimed release in 2010.
Although regarded as Australia’s finest guitar duo performing much of the instrument’s standard classical repertoire, their passion is to expand their horizons through new arrangements, their own compositions and commissions. This ambition can be heard as the brothers take the guitar into genres such as Latin, jazz, folk and contemporary music. Slava is also a member of the guitar trio ‘MGT’ which includes two giants of the jazz world, Wolfgang Muthspiel and Ralph Towner, while Leonard is composer and performer in the Australian contemporary ensemble ‘Magnolia’.
