Alexander Arutiunian
Alexander Arutiunian | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Alexander Grigori Harutyunyan Ալեքսանդր Գրիգորի Հարությունյան |
Born | Yerevan, Democratic Republic of Armenia | 23 September 1920
Died | 28 March 2012 Yerevan, Armenia | (aged 91)
Genres | Classical music |
Occupation(s) | Composer, Pianist |
Years active | 1920s-2012 |
Website | http://www.alexanderarutiunian.com/ |
Alexander Grigori Arutiunian (Template:Lang-hy), also known as Arutunian, Arutyunyan, Arutjunjan or Harutiunian (23 September 1920 – 28 March 2012), was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist, widely known for his 1950 trumpet concerto.[1] A professor at Yerevan State Conservatory, he was recognized with many awards for his work, including the Stalin Prize in 1949 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1970, as well as numerous honors from his homeland of Armenia.[2]
Biography
Arutiunian was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in the family of Grigor and Eleonora Arutiunian. His father was a military serviceman. In 1927, Arutiunian became a member of the Yerevan State Conservatory’s children group, then, at age 14, he was admitted to the Conservatory to the studios of Olga Babasyan (piano), and Sergei Barkhudaryan and Vardges Talyan (composition). He graduated from the Music Conservatory of Yerevan on the eve of World War II. After the war he moved to Moscow, where between 1946 and 1948 he participated in the workshops of House of Armenian Culture, studied composition with Genrikh Litinsky. After graduation he returned to Yerevan to teach at the local Conservatory and in 1954 he was appointed artistic director of the Armenian State Philharmony. He was also a member of the Board of the USSR Composers' Union, as well as of the Armenian SSR Composers’ Union.
In 1948, Arutiunian was awarded the Stalin Prize for his cantata Motherland,[3] a graduation piece he wrote as a student at the Moscow Conservatory. The USSR Radio Choir and Orchestra performed this work first time in November 1948.
In 1949, Arutiunian composed the "Festive Overture" that was first performed in the Big Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic in November 1949, with Evgeny Mravinsky conducting. During the Moscow Music Congress Aram Khachaturian considered him as a promising Soviet composer.[4] He has continued to win acclaim at home and abroad for his works, many of which are quickened by the folk traditions of Armenian music. Other works of that kind include The tale of Armenian people (1960), Ode to Lenin (1967) and Hymn to the brotherhood (1970).
Some of Arutiunian's works for wind instruments include his 1950 concerto for trumpet, the concerto for tuba, and the brass quintet Armenian Scenes. In 1988, inspired by the Spitak earthquake, Arutiunian composed his Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, Armenia-88[3] (dedicated to Ruben Aharonyan). The premiere took place in Yerevan in 1989.
In September 2010 Arutiunian's 90th birthday was celebrated by a series of concerts.
Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major (1950)
Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto consists of the following movements:
- Andante—Allegro energico
- Meno mosso
- Tempo I
- Meno mosso
- Tempo I - (Cadenza) Coda
The melodic and rhythmic characteristics of Armenian folk music are a strong influence in Arutiunian’s work. As a composer, he expresses his nationality by incorporating the flavor of ashughner (folk minstrel) improvisations. At the time the concerto was written, his compositional style was similar to Khachaturian's. However, in the 1960s he tended towards classical forms and clearer tonality.
Arutiunian’s trumpet concerto was his sixth major composition, written in 1950. Arutiunian originally intended to write it in 1943 for a student of Tabakov, Zsolak Vartasarian, who was the principal trumpet in the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. However, Vartasarian died in the war and the concerto was not completed until 1950, so Aykaz Messlayan was the first performer of the Concerto and Timofei Dokschitzer was the first recording artist of this concerto.
The concerto's introduction to the United States is solely due to Dokschitzer, a leading Soviet Russian trumpeter.
Personal life
In 1950, Arutiunian married Irina (Tamara) Odenova. Their marriage produced two children, a daughter, Narine (born 1951), who is a pianist and lawyer; and a son, Suren (born 1953), who is an artist-designer. His extended family includes 3 granddaughters and a grandson. He died, aged 91, in his home city of Yerevan. Arutiunian is buried at the Komitas Pantheon which is located in the city center of Yerevan.
Awards
- 1949 - State Stalin Prize (USSR State Prize)
- 1962 - People's Artist of Armenia
- 1970 - People's Artist of USSR
- 1972 - State Prize of Armenia
- 1977 - All-Union Alexandrov Prize (Gold medal)
- 1983 – Orpheus Award (USA)
- 1986 - Aram Khachaturian Prize
- 1998 – "Khorenatsi" Medal (Armenia)
- 2001 - "St Mesrop Mashtots" Order (Armenia)
- 2004 - St Sahak and St Mesrop Order (Etchmiadzin, Armenia)
- 2005 - Armenian Academy of Sciences Gold Medal
- 1983 - Honorary Citizen of the State of Kentucky, USA
- 1987 - Honorary Citizen of Yerevan City.
Works
Important works include:
- 1941 Impromptu for Cello and Piano
- 1946 Polyphonic Sonata in 3 movements;
- 1948 Cantata about the Motherland for soloist, choir and symphony orchestra in 5 movements (words by Ashot Grashi and Sarmen);
- 1949 Festive Overture for symphony orchestra;
- 1950 Concerto for trumpet and symphony orchestra (dedicated to Haykaz Mesiayan);
- 1950 Armenian Rhapsody (co-author: Arno Babajanyan)
- 1951 Concertino for piano and symphony orchestra in 3 movements (dedicated to Arutiunian's daughter, Narine)
- 1952 Armenian Dances for symphony orchestra in 5 movements
- 1955 Concert Scherzo for trumpet and symphony orchestra
- 1957 Symphony in 4 movements (dedicated to Tamara Odenova, spouse and friend)
- 1957 Armenian Fantasy for pops band (co-author: Konstantin Orbelyan)
- 1960 A Legend about the Armenian People vocal-symphonic poem in 4 movements (words by Ashot Grashi)
- 1964 Concerto-Fantasy [5 Contrasts] for wind quintet and symphony orchestra
- 1966 Sinfonietta for string orchestra in 4 movements
- 1969 Sayat-Nova, opera in three acts, libretto: H.Khanjyan
- 1973 Theme with Variations for trumpet and symphony orchestra
- 1980 Concerto for flute and string orchestra in 2 movements; revised in 2009 with a new cadenza and dedicated to James Strauss
- 1984 Armenian Sketches suite for brass quintet in 4 movements
- 1986 Sasuntsis’ dance for string quartet and piano (arrangement)
- 1988 Concerto for violin and string orchestra in 4 movements (dedicated to Ruben Aharonyan)
- 1989 Dance for four trombones
- 1990 Rhapsody for trumpet and pops band
- 1991 Concerto for trombone and symphony orchestra in 3 movements (dedicated to Michel Becquet)
- 1992 Concerto for tuba and symphony orchestra in 3 movements (dedicated to Roger Bobo)
- 1998 Suite for oboe, horn and piano in 3 movements
- 2004 Children's Album for piano
Filmography
Music for Films
- Urvakannere heranum en lernerits (Ghosts Leave the Peaks, 1955)
- Sirtn e yergum (The Heart Sings, 1957)
- "Im ynkeroj masin" (About My Friend, 1958)
- Za chas do rassveta (An Hour Before the Dawn, 1973, TV)
- Nahapet (1977) (as Life Triumphs in United States)
- Aleph, lectures contades (2000) Italian TV episode (soundtrack: "Concerto for trombone and orchestra")
As Actor
- Lalvari vorskane (Lalvar Hunter, 1967) as Zako
Bibliography
Autobiography
- Alexander Arutiunian Memoirs, Yerevan, 2000 (in Armenian and Russian)
Monographs about Alexander Arutiunian
- S. V. Koptev, "Alexander Arutiunian", Yerevan: Haypethrat, 1962. (in Armenian)
- Izabella Rubenovna Yolyan, Alexander Arutiunian, Moscow: Sovetskii Kompozitor, 1962 (in Russian)
- Mikhail Artemovich Kokzhayev, The stylistic peculiarities of Alexander Arutiunian’s compositions, Moscow: Kompozitor, 2006 (in Russian)
Dictionary articles
- Arutiunian, Alexander by Don Michael Randel, in 'The Harvard concise dictionary of music and musicians', 1999, 757 pages, p. 36
- Alexander Arutiunian in Great Soviet Encyclopedia [1]
References
- ^ Allan Kozinn (2000-08-01). "A Natural for Outdoors (and Street Corners)". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- ^ Arutiunian, Alexander, The International Who's Who, Europa Publications, 2004, p. 69
- ^ a b Charlotte Smith (2012-05-28). "Obituary: Alexander Arutiunian, composer". Gramophone. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- ^ Moscow Music Congress, Time (magazine), April 15, 1957
External links
- Official Site
- List of works
- Arutunian at IMDB
- Alexander Arutiunian. Celebrations of his 85th anniversary, By Jean-Pierre Mathez, "Brass Bulletin", 2005
- Neil Davidson, 'Comparison between J. Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb and A. Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto in Ab'. Harrogate Grammar School, Music A level project 1999
- Arutiunian's memorial tombstone at Komitas Pantheon
- 20th-century classical composers
- 21st-century classical composers
- Armenian academics
- Armenian composers
- Soviet composers
- Soviet classical musicians
- Soviet music educators
- People's Artists of Armenia
- People's Artists of the USSR
- Stalin Prize winners
- People from Yerevan
- 1920 births
- 2012 deaths
- Burials at the Komitas Pantheon