Arie Dakesian at WiGS: From Buenos Aires to Yerevan
- WiGS
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
I’m no specialist in guitar repertoire, but having attended a number of concerts at WiGS – the Wig(s)more Hall for guitar music – I’ve come to expect programmes that are distinctive, ambitious and thoughtfully curated. The latest concert in the WiGS Conservatoire Series, given by Royal College of Music guitarist Arie Dakesian, was no exception.
The first piece on the programme was Francisco Tárrega’s Carnival of Venice (variations on a theme by Paganini), yet Dakesian began unexpectedly with his own arrangement of Bach’s Prelude in C Major. Played sul tasto, with the right hand drawn over the fingerboard, the opening unfolded softly and warmly, the guitar taking on an almost harp-like quality. Dakesian’s arrangement extends the harmonies with added major 7ths, creating a floating, cyclical atmosphere faintly reminiscent of Debussy. “Like most people start the morning with a prayer, I wanted to start the concert with one too,” he said. It was an enchanting and personal way to open the recital.
Next, the Tárrega variations, which brought a welcome burst of energy and virtuosity. Dakesian navigated the work’s rapid passagework and intricate figurations with fluency and precision, allowing the melodic thread to emerge clearly through the decorative surface. Each variation retained a sense of character, balancing playfulness with control.
In Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Dakesian used contrasting arrangements – the well-established Benítez version for Verano, the newer Sergio Assad arrangements for the Otoño, Invierno, and Primavera – to create a subtle shift in tone across the cycle. Rhythmic energy drove the outer movements, while more introspective passages were shaped with sensitivity and lyricism.
After the interval, Dakesian returned joined by the talented violinist Polina Sharafyan. Dusk had settled outside, the chapel felt darker, and the candles that framed the stage cast a fragile shell of light around the performers.
They began with A Short Tale by Vache Sharafyan, Polina’s dad, a transcription of the fourth movement from his Concerto Grosso No. 3. The work unfolded episodically, its narrative quality shaped through a flexible and imaginative interplay between violin and guitar. Sharafyan’s use of glissandi gave the violin line an almost vocal quality, evocative of distant, seagull-like cries, while the music’s modal character and sudden contrasts gave the piece a distinctly contemporary edge.
The Armenian Miniatures by Sergei Aslamazyan, arranged by Dakesian, brought a vivid change of character. Drawing on folk idioms, the sequence moved between sharply defined dances and more reflective, song-like interludes. Each miniature was clearly delineated, with rhythmic vitality offset by moments of lyrical repose. The audience responded warmly, their audible reactions – quiet laughter, murmurs of appreciation – underscoring the immediacy and charm of the music. For one listener, Michael, the effect was transporting: “The mesmerising eastern and middle-eastern tones lifted my spirit onto a voyage through remote villages in Armenia, each with its colourful folk music and characteristics.”
The programme closed with Piazzolla’s Nightclub 1960, its bright and rhythmic character bringing the evening to a joyful close. As WiGS Chair, Mark Nicholson observed in his closing remarks, it felt as if we had been transported somewhere between Buenos Aires and Yerevan.
Overall, the recital revealed Dakesian as a thoughtful and versatile musician, equally at home in solo virtuosity and chamber collaboration. Pepi, a member of the audience, perhaps put it best: “Arie does not simply play the guitar, his emotional brain directs the notes to his hands, that are powerfully gifted in suitably expressing the meaning of the music.”
About the author
Elisabet Dijkstra is a composer based in Wimbledon, London - a current composition PhD student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Find more of her writing here.
