ARMENIAN MUSICIANS IN RUSSIA
Olga Fyodorova
The Voice of Russia
Nov 15 2011
You may have noticed the abundance of Armenian names among Russia’s
musical celebrities, didn’t you?..
Spread all across the globe, the Armenian nation has spawned a flurry
of great names. Suffice it to mention the legendary German conductor
Herbert von Karajan, the French composer, conductor and singer Michel
Legrand, the crooner Charles Aznavour, also from France, the American
singer and actress Cher and the opera superstar Maria Gulegina. Who,
by the way, is widely considered Russian because she studied here
and started her stage career here in Russia.
Yes, Russia has launched to stardom many an outstanding Armenian
musician.
Aram Khachaturian came to Moscow shortly after finishing high school.
Entering the Biology department of Moscow University, he was then
turned on to classical music that eventually made him one of the
greatest composers of the past century…
Recognized as a classic already during his lifetime, Aram Khachaturian
had his music played all across the world. Melodious and perfectly
arranged, it was absolutely consonant with the European musical
standards while always retaining its traditional Armenian color
and intonation.
Spending more and half a century of his life in Russia and receiving
fundamental musical education here, Khachaturian always stayed true
to musical radiations of his people.
The Saber Dance from the Gayaneballet was his signature number…
Just like his Concerto for the Violin and Orchestra which he wrote
in 1940 for the great David Oistrakh. These days it is performed with
almost equal excellence by Armenian violinist Gaik Kazarian…
Host: Well, this guy is not yet 30, if my memory serves me right. Just
like Khachaturian before him, Gaik Kazaryan became a conservatory
student in Moscow and is now teaching at his alma mater. He is a
proud winner of prestigious international competitions in Moscow,
Paris and Poznan.
Another Armenian name we want to mention here is Alexander
Melik-Pashayev. An amazingly talented conductor, he became a winner
of national competition back in 1938. Before that, in 1931, he was
invited to the Bolshoi Theater where he worked more than three decades,
including nine as their chief conductor…
A larger than life figure, Melik Pashayev could have become a world
celebrity had it not been for the Iron Curtain Stalin had erected to
separate this country from the rest of the world. He was still allowed
to travel abroad staging a number of operas and ballets in Prague,
Ostrava and London and his opera recordings winning praise in France
and the United States.
Well, we didn’t mention the very excellent Armenian opera singers
who have shone on the Russian stage. Above all Pavel Lisitisian,
whose amazingly beautiful velvety baritone graced the Bolshoi’s
operas for almost three decades. A fan of world classics, Lisitsian
never missed a chance to try his hand or, rather, voice, singing
Oriental-tinged pieces. Like, for example, this beautiful romance by
Sergei Rachmaninoff…
Pavel Lisitsian had three children and they all followed in their
father’s footsteps. Just listen to this haunting duet by his daughters
Ruzanna and Karina. The way their voices blend together is absolutely
out of this world.
That was amazing! You know, Ruzanna and Karina Lisitsian learned much
from their father, which is natural, but also from their no-less famous
aunt Zara Dolukhanova, born Zaruyi Makaryan. Taking her husband’s last
name, she then changed to a Russian-sounding one. Zara Dolukhanova
spent most of her life as a National Radio lead singer in Moscow.
Zara Dolukhanova was a legendary singer making easy work of the
extremely complicated coloratura pieces by Rossini and Meyerber,
masterfully performing music by Old Masters and also premiering music
by modern composers, including by her fellow Armenian friend Mikael
Tariverdiyev.
Mikael Tariverdiyev made his debut in a Moscow as a composer with
a series of romances Zara Dolukhanova premiered in the mid-1950s. A
student of Aram Khachaturian’s, Tariverdiyev diligently penned ballets,
operas and piano and organ pieces but it was his film scores that
really made him famous…
Tariverdiev’s instantly recognizable music graces more than 130 flicks,
many of which owe their popularity to his melodies….
There is one more Moscow-based Armenian composer who brought classical
and pop music happily together. As you might have already guessed,
the fellow’s name is Arnaud Babadzhanian.
A conservatory graduate in Yerevan and Moscow where he was a
composition and piano major, Babadzhanian moved to Moscow at 35 and
devoted himself wholly to writing songs.
Even though Arnaud put to music exclusively Russian poems, his songs
always had a spicy sprinkle of oriental music which is probably
why they appealed so much to another scion of the Caucasus – Muslim
Magomayev who was so great singing Babadzhanian’s songs…
It is common knowledge that Azeris and Armenians have never been the
best of friends… However, an Armenian Babadzhanian and an Azeri
Magomayev were very good friends drawn together by their love for
music and Russia where they spent the better part of their lives.
From: A. Papazian
http://english.ruvr.ru/radio_broadcast/2248383/60048939.html