In 1978, he became assistant conductor at the Kirov Opera, now the Mariinsky Opera. His first conducting appearance was with Sergei Prokofiev's "War and Peace". He was chief conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 until 1985 - the year he made his first appearance in the United Kingdom, together with pianist Evgeny Kissin, and violinists Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin, at The Lichfield Festival.