PIANIST
Solo
Winner of ten prestigious international piano competitions in Armenia, China, Croatia and Italy, Ruben quickly established himself in the international music scene. This accomplishment was immediately noted and described as a remarkable achievement by prominent performers and critics alike. The prize awards he collected at the Second China International Piano Competition in Beijing (China), the Svetislav Stančić International Piano Competition in Zagreb (Croatia) and at the Aram Khachaturyan International Piano Competition in Yerevan (Armenia) expanded his recognition as an “intelligent and subtle pianist, whose performance always reveals something new and consistently interesting” according to Lazar Berman’s testimony.
Ruben’s concert tours include numerous countries of Europe, Asia and America. The performances range from solo recitals and concerts with Symphony orchestras to participation in chamber ensembles – a piano duo with his wife Julia Gubajdullina and the well-known trio “Amadeus” to be mentioned. Ruben is a member of the SONEMUS organisation (Sarajevo’s Organisation for New Music).
His repertoire encompasses music from baroque to present days. With more than 20 concerts in his program and a special emphasis on the Romantic period Ruben performs a wide range of musical works. In collaboration with the Croatian Radio and Croatian Music Institut he recently recorded the entirety of the piano opus of the famous Croatian composer Blagoje Bersa. For this double CD Ruben received the highest acknowledgement of the Croatian Ministry of Culture – “Vladimir Nazor award” for greatest achievements in music and arts. The pianist also gives special attention and dedication to the promotion of the works of Armenian composers, an interesting and original music inseparably linked to the culture of his native country.
Piano Duo
Founded in 2000 with his wife Julia Gubajdullina, the duo has performed a significant number of recital programs for piano duo or four hands piano since its conception. The duo’s most notable projects include a repertoire composed of Dances of various countries (pieces by Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak, Grieg, Khachaturyan, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, etc.), a repertoire of French composers’ works including Poulenc, Milhaud, Debussy, Ravel, as well as a Russian project including notable works of Rachmaninoff.
“…Ruben’s and Julia’s performance as a duet demonstrated a new level of mastery composed of absolute technical skill together with a first-rate ensemble approach. The rich and colourful expression was achieved by a combination of a controlled illuminated romantic sound and strikingly dramatic accents (Liszt – Concerto Pathetique) together with a luxurious spectrum of colours (Rachmaninov – Suite-Fantasia). The concert was framed in “pearls of impressionism”, performed with great understanding of style (Debussy – Prelude a l’apre-midi d’un faune and Ravel – La Valse) . The hall seemed to be filled with wonderful sounds of wide dynamic range. The inspired musicians played with immediacy and created an unforgetable chamber music atmosphere. Two brilliantly performed encores (Milhaud, Lutoslawski) were the pianists’ thankful answer to the great ovation they received from the abundant audience.” – newspaper Free Dalmatia – Croatia
Amadeus Trio Zagreb
The “Amadeus Trio Zagreb” was founded in 2008 with violinist Leonid Sorokow and cellist Kresimir Lazar, renowned professors of the University for Music and Performing Arts of Vienna and the Zagreb University Music Academy, respectively. They have performed over 20 piano trios to date, with a special emphasis on the promotion of Croatian chamber music heritage. The “Amadeus Trio Zagreb” has established itself as one of the most recognizable ensemble names in the region.