Twenty years ago, three friends - music producer Nika Babayan, pianist Armen Babakhanyan and guitarist Hakob Jaghatspanyan - decided to perform the compositions of the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla on piano and guitar.

“Armen left for Buenos Aires, and I asked him to bring scores. He brought a lot of scores, but they were all for five musicians. Piazzolla was in search for all his life, worked with different orchestras, created different ensembles, but at the last phase of his life he came to the idea that the only minimal formation of instruments that can give the effect of an orchestra is a combination of guitar, piano, violin, double bass and bandoneon,” says Nika Babayan.

Since the decision to play Piazzolla was definite, they established a 5-member band, involving a violinist, double bassist and accordionist. The accordion was the only “deviation” from Piazzolla’s proposed instruments - there was no bandoneon, they had to replace it.

In April 2004, the first solo concert of the quintet took place in Yerevan, with a program composed of Astor Piazzolla’s works.

“The first concert, held in the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, was an indescribable success. It was amazing, with no empty seats, people were even sitting on the stairs,” recalls the producer.

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After the concert, the 5 musicians and the producer decided to form an ensemble named Cadence. They introduced tango to Armenian audience at several concerts in Yerevan, a genre that had not been widely performed in Armenia up to that point.

“There was no such genre direction in Armenia, and we all started working. The important thing was that we mastered and loved tango, because, without that love, you cannot play it, you cannot step into that world. Tango is more than just scores; anyone can read and play notes, but you have to feel the tango,” violinist Varazdat Khachumyan says, recalling the first steps of the ensemble.

A year later, Cadence embarked on a journey to Argentina, the birthplace of tango. Performing Piazzolla in Buenos Aires was a serious challenge, especially with the accordion in the ensemble.

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“When they learned that we were going to play the accordion instead of the bandoneon, they cautioned us against such a stupid decision, advising not to play Argentine music with the accordion. I apologized, explaining that we arrived in Argentina and could not miss the chance to play Piazzolla at the world-famous opera house in Buenos Aires, Teatro Colón. They agreed to only 1-2 pieces.

We ignored their advice and performed as planned. You cannot imagine how the hall applauded. It was thunderous, there was a feeling that the building would collapse. After the concert, three people approached, and it turned out that one of them was Piazzolla’s closest friend. He said, “You know, what you played and what excited the audience was not Piazzolla. It was the music unknown to us, and, if Piazzolla heard it, he would probably have been filled with joy, because you gave such an interpretation to his works. You are saying a new word in the world of tango,” recounts Nika Babayan.

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In 2010, the Yerevan International Tango Festival was established with the efforts of the Cadence Music Center and the Ministry of Culture of Armenia. The festival kicked off with a performance by Cadence and the renowned French composer and accordionist Richard Galliano.

Although tango brought great recognition to the ensemble, as the manager notes, the Cadence could not present itself to the world solely as an Armenian ensemble that performs tango. Following Piazzolla’s model of combining five instruments, they diversified their repertoire to include compositions by classical and contemporary Armenian, European, American, and Russian composers.

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“We introduced the classical and contemporary Argentine tango style to the Armenian audience, but we could not show the Armenian performance art to the world with it. Along with tango, we began to perform Armenian music, including pieces by Shnorhali, Sayat-Nova, Komitas, Aram Khachaturian and modern composers. Our pianist Sofi Mikayelyan, handles the instrumentation, incorporating nuances that even those familiar with Komitas’ works are surprised by the unusual and delightful interpretation.

In fact, we started with Piazzolla, moved on to unique interpretations of Armenian melodies, and today we hold a prominent position in the crossover genre,” says Nika Babayan.

“It might seem difficult to transform the Argentinian classical quintet into Armenian melodies. However, a recent concert by the Cadence ensemble in Yerevan has demonstrated that Komitas’ “The Crane”, Aram Khachaturian’s “Dance with Swords” and Sayat-Nova’s “Kani vur jan im” can be played with equal harmony using the combination of the mentioned instruments,” Hayastani Hanrapetutyun paper wrote.

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Lithuania, Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, France, Great Britain, Belgium, China, Canada, Greece, America... Cadence members cannot already count the number of their concerts abroad.

Referring to the concert held for the first time in Turkey in 2017, the Istanbul-based Armenian daily Zhamanak described it as “historic”.

“This concert is dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. Thus, the anniversary of Armenia’s independence will be celebrated for the first time in Istanbul, therefore the concert is of historical nature.”

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The ensemble has released more than 100 CDs and videos. “Expression: “Armenian Transformations” CD was awarded the “Supersonic” prize of the Luxembourg “Pizzicato” music magazine. Cadence was awarded the gold medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, the Thessaloniki International Music Festival and many other medals and awards. The ensemble has also received diplomas and letters of appreciation from Armenian communities in Turkey, Ukraine, Egypt, Lithuania and the Golden Apricot Festival.

“The concert of the Cadence ensemble brought immense joy not only to the local Armenian community, but also to the entire cultural community. We appreciate the great talent and professionalism of the musicians, as evidenced by the applause and several “encore” performances at the end of the concert,” wrote Andy (Atrushan) Armenian, Honorary Consul of Armenia in Las Vegas.

The Armenian quintet participated in over two dozen festivals. Varazdat Khachumyan recalls the renowned tango festival in Buenos Aires in 2017, where they appeared in the top 5. “After the concert, people approached us and spoke to us in Spanish, thinking we were Argentines. They said that it is impossible not to be Argentine and play tango like this, to feel our music so deeply.”

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“This ensemble has an academic training of excellence, an unsurpassed professionalism, an exquisite sensitivity, an inner drive that leads them to always be in search of new proposals for new challenges in constant growth and most importantly…the love of music and pride in having been chosen by it to practice this profession of musicians,” Walter Rios, Argentine bandoneonist, wrote this about the ensemble.

“There are many ways to accompany singers, but there is one that defines the Cadence way. It is the perfect alchemy that occurs when talent touches with the entire life, with the feelings, with the gaze that penetrates each instrument and sneaks into the deep mystery of the sacred. That's what the Cadence Ensemble represents to me,” Argentine singer Mariel Dupetit wrote about the ensemble.

“The group dedicated to interpreting tango music and especially that composed by Astor Piazzolla, is an example of great musical quality combined with research and deep knowledge of the values of tango as a world art of the twentieth century and the present,”  Gabriel Soria, the President of Argentina’s National Academy of Tango, wrote recently.

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In 2024, Cadence will celebrate its 20th anniversary. After several concerts in Yerevan, they will embark on a concert tour in the United States. “The ensemble’s most captivating phase of adult life is beginning,” says Nika Babayan.

Lusine Gharibyan

Photos by Agape Grigoryan