'"[3] * Professor Anatoly Selyanin related in 2004, "In January I headed the jury of an American competition devoted to the Arutiunian trumpet concerto.
Selyanin said that "even a dog", if admitted to a performance, would recognise the musical structure at once and "know that in eight steps the concerto will be complete"...[4] This work is an excellent example of the impact that Armenian folk culture had on Arutunian's compositions, showcased through improvisational-sounding melodies from the Ashik (ashug)i) tradition, and the consistent use of the augmented second throughout the piece.
[7] The piece is scored for solo trumpet, 2 flutes (second doubles piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion ( bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle), harp and strings.
Premiere recording was made by Armenian trumpeter Haykaz Mesiayan of the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, and conductor Odyssey Dimitriadi in 1951.
[citation needed] Recording by the Soviet trumpeter Timofei Dokschitzer was instrumental in making the concerto famous.