Tigran Mansurian

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Alex Blake, Tigran Mansurian, Hamlet Sarkissian, Hanna Kulenty
Alex Blake, Tigran Mansurian, Hamlet Sarkissian, Hanna Kulenty

Tigran Mansurian (born 1939 in Beirut) is a notable Armenian musician and composer.

Contents

[edit] Biography

In 1947 Mansurian's family moved to Armenia, finally settling in the capital Yerevan in 1956. Mansurian studied at the Yerevan Music Academy and completed his PhD at the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory where he later taught contemporary music analysis. In a short time he became one of Armenia's leading composers, establishing strong creative relationships with international performers and composers such as Valentin Silvestrov, Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, André Volkonsky and Edison Denisov as well as Kim Kashkashian, Jan Garbarek, and the Hilliard Ensemble. Mansurian was the director of the Komitas Conservatory in the 1990s. He has recently retired as an administrator and teacher, and concentrates exclusively on composition. Mansurian's musical style is characterized mainly by the organic synthesis of ancient Armenian musical traditions and contemporary European composition methods. His oeuvre comprises orchestral works, seven concerti for strings and orchestra, sonatas for cello and piano, three string quartets, madrigals, chamber music and works for solo instruments.

[edit] Works

[edit] Stage

  • The Ice Queen (2 act ballet, scenario by Vilen Galstyan, after Hans Christian Andersen), 1989

[edit] Orchestral

  • Concerto, organ, small orchestra, 1964;
  • Partita, large orchestra, 1965;
  • Music for Twelve Strings, 1966;
  • Preludes, large orchestra, 1975;
  • To the Memory of Dmitry Shostakovich (concerto no. 1), cello, large orchestra, 1976;
  • Canonical Ode, 4 harps, organ, 2 string orchestras, 1977;
  • Concerto No. 2, cello, string orchestra, 1978;
  • Double Concerto, violin, cello, string orchestra, 1978;
  • Tovem, small orchestra (15 players), 1979;
  • Nachtmusik, large orchestra, 1980;
  • Because I Do Not Hope (in memoriam Igor Stravinsky), small orchestra (15 players), 1981;
  • Concerto, violin, string orchestra, 1981;
  • Concerto No. 3, cello, small orchestra (2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, 2 French horns, trumpet, trombone), 1983;
  • Postludio Concerto, clarinet, cello, string orchestra, 1993 (version of chamber work);
  • Concerto, viola, 18 strings, 1995;
  • Fantasy, piano, string orchestra, 2003

[edit] Chamber music

  • Sonata, viola, piano, 1962;
  • Sonata, flute, piano, 1963;
  • Sonata No. 1, violin, piano, 1964;
  • Allegro barbaro, cello, 1964;
  • Sonata No. 2, violin, piano, 1965;
  • Piano Trio, violin, cello, piano, 1965;
  • Psalm, 2 flutes, violin, 1966;
  • Interior, string quartet, 1972;
  • Silhouette of a Bird, harpsichord, percussion, 1971-73; Sonata No. 1, cello, piano, 1973;
  • Sonata No. 2, cello, piano, 1974;
  • Wind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1974;
  • The Rhetorician, flute, violin, double bass, harpsichord, 1978;
  • Capriccio, cello, 1981;
  • String Quartet No. 1, 1983-84;
  • String Quartet No. 2, 1984;
  • Five Bagatelles, violin, cello, piano, 1985;
  • Tombeau, cello, percussion, 1988;
  • Postludio, clarinet, cello, 1991-92 (also version as Postludio Concerto);
  • String Quartet No. 3, 1993;
  • Concerto, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1995;
  • Hommage à Anna Akhmatova, bass clarinet, qanun (zither), viola, marimba, 1997;
  • Duo, viola, percussion, 1998;
  • Dance, viola, percussion, 1998;
  • Lacrimae, soprano saxophone, viola, 1999;
  • Lamento, violin, 2002 (also version for viola, 2002);
  • Three Medieval Taghs, viola, percussion, 1998-2004

[edit] Choral

  • Three Poems (text by Kostan Zaryan), mixed chorus, 1969;
  • Spring Songs (text by Hovhannis Tumanyan), mixed chorus, 1996;
  • Confessing with Faith (text by St. Nerses Shnorhali), 4 male voices, viola, 1998;
  • Ars Poetica (concerto, text by Yeghishe Charents), mixed chorus, 1996-2000;
  • Motet (text by Grigor Narekatsi), 2 mixed choruses, 2000;
  • On the Shores of Eternity (text by Avetik Isahakyan), mixed chorus, 2003

[edit] Vocal

  • Three Romances (text by Federico García Lorca [translated by Hamo Sahyan]), mezzo-soprano, piano, 1966;
  • Four Hayrens (text by Nahapet Kuchak), mezzo-soprano, piano, 1967;
  • Intermezzo (text by Vladimir Holan), soprano, ensemble, 1972-73 (lost);
  • I am Giving You a Rose (text by Matevos Sarifyan), soprano, flute, cello, piano, 1974;
  • Three Nairian Songs (text by Vahan Teryan), baritone, large orchestra, 1975-76;
  • Three Madrigals (text by Razmik Davoyan), soprano, flute, cello, piano, 1974-81;
  • Sunset Songs (song-cycle, text by Hamo Sahyan), soprano, piano, 1984-85;
  • The Land of Nairi (song-cycle, text by Vahan Teryan), soprano, piano, 1986;
  • Miserere (texts by St. Mesrop Mashtots, the Bible [Armenian translation]), soprano, string orchestra, 1989;
  • Madrigal IV (text by Alicia Kirakosyan), soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, tubular bells, 1991

[edit] Piano

  • Sonatina No. 1, 1963;
  • Petite Suite, 1963;
  • Sonata No. 1, 1967;
  • Miniatures, 1969;
  • Three Pieces, 1970-71;
  • Nostalgia, 1976;
  • Three Pieces for the Low Keys,
  • 1979; Sonatina No. 2, 1987

[edit] Film scores (director)

[edit] Links

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