Tigran Mansurian
Internet Edition compiled by Onno van Rijen
Updated 21 September 2007
Born
27 January 1939 in Beirut (Libanon). From 1947 Mansurian is living in Armenia.
Education
From 1945 until 1947 at Beirut Catholic School. In 1947 his family moved to Armenia,
finally settling in the capital Yerevan in 1956. From 1947 until 1954 he studied at the
Secondary School of Artik in Armenia; from 1956 until 1960 at Yerevan Music School
and from 1960 until 1967 at Yerevan State Conservatory. He completed his PhD at the Komitas State
Conservatory where he later taught contemporary music analysis.
Style
Mansurian's early works are serial. In his later works the Armenian elements dominate
his music and modal harmony is a feature in his works.
Works
String Quartet A (1960)
- Destroyed by the composer.
Sonata for viola and piano (1962)
Piano Sonatina No. 1 (1963)
Petite Suite for piano (1963)
Sonata for flute and piano (1963)
String Quartet B (1964)
- Destroyed by the composer.
Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano (1964)
"Allegro Barbaro" for cello (1964)
Concerto for organ and chamberorchestra (1964)
- LP Melodiya 03697-98: (Third movement: Vivo) Chamber
Orchestra of the State Philharmonia of the Lithuanian SSR, S. Sondetskis (cond), Vahagn Stamboltsian (organ)
Partita for large orchestra (1965)
Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (1965)
Suite for instruments and piano(1965)
Piano Trio (1965)
"Psalm" for two flutes and violin (1966)
Three Romances after F.G. Lorca for mezzo-soprano and piano (1966)
- Translated by Hamo Sahyan.
Book of Sad Songs after C. Khatsharezi for three men's voices, string quartet, two flutes and piano (1966)
Music for twelve stringinstruments (1966)
Piano Sonata No. 1 (1967)
- In three movements.
CD Baby: Alexei Lubimov (piano)
Four Hayrens for mezzo-soprano and piano (1967)
- Text by Nahapet Kuchak.
Music to the film "The Color of Pomegranate" (1968)
Arabesques I for six windinstruments and harp (1969)
Three Poems after Kostan Sarhan for mixed chorus a cappella (1969)
Miniatures for piano (1969)
Music to the Film "We and Our Mountains" (1969)
Arabesques II for ten instruments (1970)
Three Pieces for piano (1970-1971)
Elegy for cello and piano (1971)
Interior for string quartet (1972)
Two Elegies for violin and piano (1972)
"Silhouet of a Bird", three parts for harpsichord and percussion (1971-1973)
"Intermezzo" for soprano and instruments (1972-1973)
- Text by Vladimir Holan.
Lost
Sonate No. 1 for cello and piano (1973)
Sonata No. 2 for cello and piano (1974)
Quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn (1974)
"I'm Giving You a Rose" for soprano, flute, cello and piano (1974)
- Text by Matevos Sarifyan.
Preludes for large orchestra (1975)
Three Nairian Songs for baritone and large orchestra (1975-1976)
- Text by Vahan Teryan.
"The Moon Dancing on the Sound of the Shawm", madrigal for soprano, flute, cello and piano (1976)
Nostalgia for piano (1976)
- ECM New Series: Alexei Lubimov (piano)
CD BIS CD: Alexei Lubimov (piano)
Concerto No. 1 for cello and large orchestra "To the memory of D. Shostakovich" (1976)
Canonical Ode for four harps, organ and two string orchestras (1977)
Concerto No. 2 for cello and string orchestra (1978)
- CD Orfeo C 415 971 A: Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, Liana Issakadze (cond), Ivan Monighetti (cello)
Double Concerto for violin, cello and string orchestra (1978)
- CD Orfeo C 415 971 A: Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, Liana Issakadze (cond/violin), Ivan Monighetti (cello)
"The Rhetorician" for harpsichord, flute, violin and double-bass (1978)
Three Pieces in low keys for piano (1979)
Tovem for 15 instrumentalists (1979)
- CD: Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Alexei Vinogradov (cond)
CD Vox: Alexander Lazarev (cond)
Music to the Film "Osenneye solntse – Autumn Sun" (1979)
Music to the Film "Legend of the Clown" (1979)
Music to the Play "King John" (1979)
Music to the Play "Coriolanus" (1979)
Music to the Film "a Piece of Sky" (1979)
Nightmusic for orchestra (1980)
Three Madrigals for soprano, flute, cello and piano (1974-1981)
- Text by Razmik Davoyan.
CD Megadisc MDC 7839: Studio for New Music Moscow, Igor Dronov (cond)
"Because I don't hope", commemorating Igor Stravinsky for 15 instruments (1981)
Capriccio for cello solo (1981)
- CD Megadisc MDC 7839: Studio for New Music Moscow, Igor Dronov (cond)
Concerto for violin and string orchestra (1981)
- CD ECM New Series 1850: Muenchen Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Poppen (cond), Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
CD Orfeo C 415 971 A: Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, Liana Issakadze (cond), Ivan Monighetti (cello)
Concerto No. 3 for cello and 13 windinstruments (1983)
- For two flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon,
contrabassoon, two French horns, trumpet and trombone.
Four Duets for violin ensemble (1983)
String Quartet No. 1 (1983-1984)
- Duration: 23 minutes.
ECM New Series 1905 (4763052): Rosamunde Quartett
String Quartet No. 2 (1984)
- Duration: 22 minutes.
ECM New Series 1905 (4763052): Rosamunde Quartett
"Sunset Songs", songcycle for soprano and piano (1984-1985)
- Text by Hamo Sahyan.
Five Bagatelles for violin, cello and piano (1985)
- CD Albany Records: Stephen Manes (piano)
CD Megadisc MDC 7839: Studio for New Music Moscow, Igor Dronov (cond)
"The Land of Nairi", songcycle for soprano and piano (1986)
- Text by Vahan Teryan.
Piano Sonatina No. 2 (1987)
"The Ice-Queen", choreographic sketches after H. Chr. Andersen (1988)
"Tombeau" for cello and percussion instruments (1988)
"Miserere" after M. Mashtoz and the bible for soprano and stringorchestra (1989)
- Texts by St. Mesrop Mashtots and the Bible in Armenian translation.
"The Ice-Queen", ballet in two acts after H. Chr. Andersen (1989-1990)
- Scenario by Vilen Galstyan.
"Madrigal IV" for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and tubular bells (1991)
- Text by Alicia Kirakosyan.
Postludio for clarinet and cello (1991-1992)
String Quartet No. 3 (1992)
Postludio, concerto for clarinet, cello and string orchestra (1993)
"The Shadow of the Sash", concerto for nine wind instruments in five parts (1995)
- Dedicated to André Volkonsky.
For English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two trumpets and two trombones.
CD Megadisc MDC 7839: Valery Lopatin (English horn), Michael Unanjan (clarinet),
Michael Butirin (clarinet/bass clarinet), Akexei Suzov & Jaroslav Kostrikin (bassoon),
Sergei Strischenko % Ovik Hachatrian (trumpet), Konstantin Kalinchuk & Dmitry Vasin (trombone), Igor Dronov (cond)
Concerto for viola and string orchestra "And then I was in time again" (1995)
- Dedicated to Kim Kashkashian.
CD ECM New Series 1850: Muenchen Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Poppen (cond), Kim Kashkashian (viola)
Spring Songs for mixed chorus (1996)
- Text by Hovhannis Tumanyan.
Hommage a Anna Akhmatova for bass clarinet, qanun (zither), viola and marimba (1997)
Duo for viola and percussion (1998)
Dance for viola and percussion (1998)
"Confessing with Faith" for four male voices and viola (1998)
- Text by St. Nerses Shnorhali.
CD ECM New Series 1850: The Hilliard Ensemble: David James (counter-tenor),
Rogers Covey-Crump (tenor), Andreas Hirtreiter (tenor), Gordon Jones (baritone), Kim Kashkashian (viola)
Verse in a Burned Cover for Kanon in D major, viola, marimbafone and bass-clarinet (1998)
- Dedicated to Anna Achmatova.
"Lacrimae" for soprano saxophone and viola (1999)
- CD ECM New Series 1850: Jan Garbarek (soprano saxophone), Kim Kashkashian (viola)
"Ars Poetica", concerto for mixed choir a cappella (1996-2000)
- After poems by Yeghishe Charents.
Parts:
Part I: Three Night Songs
Part II: Three Portraits of Women
Part III: Three Autumn Songs
Part IV: And Silence Descends
CD ECM 1895: Armenian Chamber Choir, Robert Mlkeyan (cond)
Motet for two mixed choruses (2000)
- Text by Grigor Narekatsi.
"Lamento" for violin (2002)
- Also version for viola (2002)
"On the Shores of Eternity" for mixed chorus (2003)
- Text by Avetik Isahakyan.
Fantasy for piano and string orchestra (2003)
"Three Medieval Taghs" for viola and percussion (1998-2004)
"Testament" for string quartet (2004)
- Dedicated to Manfred Eicher.
Duration: 5 minutes.
ECM New Series 1905 (4763052): Rosamunde Quartett
"Autumn Fantasy (Fantasy No. 2)" for piano and string orchestra (2005)
Concerto for violin and string orchestra No. 2 "Four Serious Songs"(2006)
"Agnus Dei", for violin, clarinet, cello and piano (2006)
"Con Anima" for string sextet (2006-2007)
Thanks to Nairi Galstanian from Paris, France for additional information.
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