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Alexandr ArutiunianArmenian composer and pianist
Date of Birth: 23.09.1920
Country:  Armenia |
Content:
Alexander Arutyunyan: Armenian Composer and Pianist
Alexander Arutyunyan was an Armenian composer and pianist, as well as a professor at the Yerevan Conservatory. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1970. Arutyunyan studied composition with Sarkis Barkhudaryan and V.G. Talian at the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan from 1934 to 1941. He also received piano lessons from O.A. Babasyan. After the war, he furthered his studies at the Moscow Conservatory under Litinsky, Peyko, and Tsukkerman from 1946 to 1948. From 1954 to 1990, he served as the long-standing director of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and has been a professor of composition at the Yerevan Conservatory since 1965.
Music and Style
Arutyunyan became a member of the Union of Soviet Composers in 1939 and the Union of Armenian Filmmakers in 1975. His musical style, developed in the late 1940s, is based on the rich musical heritage of Armenia, as well as the principles of classical and romantic music. This is evident in his strict adherence to classical structures, such as the sequence of fast and slow movements, and his use of suite and concerto genres. The traditions of Armenian folk singers, known as ashugs, who rely on various types of improvisational development, also play an important role in Arutyunyan's compositions. His works are filled with expressiveness, sensibility, nostalgia, and irony.
Arutyunyan's career can be divided into several periods. His compositions from the post-war period and the early 1950s are characterized by thematic development and the combination of grand structures, creating great emotional intensity. Works from this period, such as the Festive Overture, Symphony, and Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, have a spirit similar to the works of Aram Khachaturian.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the composer moved away from dramatic elements in favor of clarity of expression and a focus on classical forms. His greatest achievement during this period is the opera "Sayat-Nova" (libretto by A.S. Khanchyan), as well as numerous neoclassical compositions, including the Concerto for French Horn and Orchestra, Variations for Trumpet and Orchestra, and more. Finally, starting in the 1980s, Arutyunyan's compositions show a desire to synthesize different styles. For example, his concertos for trombone and tuba with orchestra, the first concert pieces for these instruments in the history of Armenian music, as well as the violin concerto "Armenia-88," which is considered one of his best works. Dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Spitak earthquake, this concerto combines baroque music, classical form, and the refined lyricism of romantic colors. Sergey Khachatryan is among the performers of his works.
Accolades
Arutyunyan was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Stalin Prize in 1949, the title of People's Artist of the Armenian SSR in 1964, and People's Artist of the USSR in 1970. Several of Arutyunyan's compositions for wind instruments, such as the trumpet concerto dedicated to Timofei Dokshitzer, are part of the repertoire of leading world performers. His concert pieces for two pianos, "Armenian Rhapsody" and "Festive" (with percussion), co-written with A.A. Babajanyan, are also frequently performed on stages around the world.
