Ալվարդ Միրզոյան (քանոն)
Alvard Mirzoyan (kanon)
Melodiya, 1986, S 3u 23613 008
The kanon (or kanun, qanun ...) is a very old instrument in the Near East but I don't know exactly when it was used extensively by Armenian musicians although there are pictures dating from the Middle Ages showing this instrument. It seems that mostly men played it until the beginning of the XXth century when women became more numerous like Louisa Sedrakian or Angela Atabekian who is said to have been the first female kanun player trained by famous kanonist and composer Khachatour Avetissian among others. Knar (lyre) was an ancient name for the kanon. It replaced the santoor in modern folk orchestras.
A. Mirzoyan was born in 1956 but it's nearly impossible to get useful information about her training or career. I know that she played with Jivan Gasparyan's band.
Here we have a typical example of the Soviet idea about folk music whether Russian, Estonian or Armenian. Folk musicians were expected to get as close as they could to classical music (reading, virtuosity, harmonization, etc...). This is why, maybe, there are two classical-like pieces : the Venetian Carnival by Paganini and a sonata for kanon composed by Kh. Avetissian mentionned above. For this piece re-recording was used so that Mirzoyan could play three kanons. The ''classical'' aspect is also present on three other tracks where Mirzoyan is accompanied by forte-piano player Assia Gazaryan. These includes two pieces by Komitas who was himself a pioneer in the modernization of traditional Armenian music as well as a musicologist who saved or rediscovered old forms of liturgical chanting.
There is a composition by Sayat Nova of course as well as dances with dhol player Gagik Akhverdian.
Merci Herve!!
ReplyDeleteAlvard Henriki Mirzoyan , Armenian singer, professor of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory .
She was born on March 9 , 1956 in Yerevan .
In 1971, she entered the music school named after Romanos Melikyan . Where she was noticed by Alexander Shahbazyan, the manager of public instruments. Shahbazyan developed a new program for the rule, including the works of Russian, European, Armenian classical composers, Alyabev, Paganini , Sarasate , Saint-Saens, Khachaturian , Satyan , etc.
The first performer of this and a number of works was Alvard Mirzoyan. In 1973, she won first prize and a gold medal at the Republican competition. In 1973, she won a gold medal at the international competition-festival held in Voronezh . Wiesbaden , Germany also participatedat the international festival held in the city. In the 1970s, he gave many concerts and solo concerts in Armenia and abroad. winner of all-union and international competitions and festivals, Mirzoyan performed in concerts in England , France , Holland , Greece , Germany, Belgium , Syria , Iraq , Jordan , Cyprus , and a number of African countries. In a number of cities of the Soviet Union, on the popular stages of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg . In 1975, she worked at the invitation of Khachatur Avetisyan.
As a soloist in the Tatul Altunyan State Song and Dance Ensemble . In 1978, under the leadership of Khachatur Avetisyan, a department of folk instruments was opened in Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory , where Alvard Mirzoyan was one of the first students. After graduating from the conservatory, he was accepted as a lecturer and still teaches at the Yerevan State Conservatory named after Komitas. Since 2005, he has been a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory named after Komitas.
Alvard Mirzoya performed the premiere of new works written by Khachatur Avetisyan: concerts, sonatas, verses, many plays. Following the flourishing period of the ruler, a number of composers wrote new works dedicated to the ruler, Yervand Yerkanyan , Tsovak Hambardzumyan , Geghuni Chtchyan , Gevorg Manasyan , Robert Ataya and others.
After graduating from the conservatory, he studied at a postgraduate course. By a special order of the Ministry of Culture, he was demoted to a post-graduate position and he was the first post-graduate student. His student was Tsovinar Hovhannisyan . Future female kanun players were inspired by her .
Once again : thanks for these useful information I was not able to get myself !
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup Hervé! Erman
ReplyDelete