Avet Terterian

[MosJan]

http://www.terterian.org/deutsch/bilder/avetterterian5.jpg

 

Born

29 July 1929 in Baku, Azerbaijan; died 11 December 1994 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

 

Biography

Armenian composer and pianist. He had his first lessons of music when he was six years old. From 1948 to 1951 he visited the Advanced College of Music in Baku, and from 1951 to 1952 the College of Music in Yerevan. From 1952 to 1957 he studied with Edvard Mirzoyan at the Yerevan Conservatory, where he in 1957 was appointed to the staff (as a teacher of music theory until 1959). From 1963 to 1967 he conducted his 'aspirantura' with Mirzoyan. Since 1970 Terteryan has worked as a teacher of instrumentation at the Yerevan Conservatory, since 1978 as a lecturer and 1983 as a professor.

Member of the Composers' Union of Armenia; several activities at the service of the Armenian Ministry of Culture; Merited Artist of the Armenian SSR (1972); State Prize of the Armenian SSR (1977).

 

Style

His confidently written music is formed in a synthetic manner from diverse materials: Armenian 'sharakan'(hymns), free 12-tone music, aleatoric devices and Xenakis-like blocks, sometimes including parts for non-tempered folk instruments.

 

Works

Sonata for violoncello and piano (1955)

"The Motherland", vocal-symphonic cycle No. 1 for soprano, baritone and orchestra, lyrics by Hovhannes Shiraz (dedicated to E. Mirzoyan)(1957)

"The Revolution", vocal-symphonic cycle No. 2 for soprano, baritone and orchestra, lyrics by Yeghishe Charents (1960)

String Quartet in C-major (1962)

Poem for violoncello and piano (1964)

"The Ring of Fire", opera in 2 acts and 8 scenes after Boris Lavrenyov's story, lyrics by Y. Charents, libretto by Vladimir Shahnazaryan (1967, second version: 1977)

LP Mekodiya C10 13707-10: TV and All-Union Radio Large Chorus and Orchestra, H. Terterian (cond)

Symphony No. 1 for brass, percussion, piano, organ and bass guitar (1969)

Symphony No. 2 for large orchestra, male voices and mixed chorus (1972)

Symphony No. 3 for large orchestra, duduk and zurna (1975)

CD ASV CD DCA 986: Armenian PO, L. Tjeknavorian (cond)

Symphony No. 4 for large orchestra and tape (1976)

LP Melodiya C10 19949: USSR Ministry of Culture SO, G. Rozhdestvensky (cond)

CD ASV CD DCA 986: Armenian PO, L. Tjeknavorian (cond)

"Hymn to October", cantata for chorus and orchestra to words by Gevorg Emin (1977)

"Monologue Richard III", ballet after William Shakespeare on a libretto by V. Galsthan (1977-1979)

Symphony No. 5 for large orchestra, kyamancha, zurna and burvar (1978)

LP Melodiya C10 19949: USSR Ministry of Culture SO, G. Rozhdestvensky (cond)

Symphony No. 6 for large orchestra (1981)

"The Earthquake in Chile", opera after a story by Heinrich von Kleist (1986)

Symphony No. 7 (1987)

CD Megadisc MDC 7826: Ural PO, D. Liss (cond)

Symphony No. 8 (1989)

CD Megadisc MDC 7826: Ural PO, D. Liss (cond)

String Quartet No.2 (1991)

Symphony No. 9 (in progress at the time of his death) (1994)