Armen Tigranovich Tigranian (Armen Tigranian) |

Armen Tigranian

Born in 1879 in Alexandropol (Leninakan), in the family of an artisan watchmaker. He studied at the Tbilisi Gymnasium, but could not finish it due to lack of funds and was forced to start working.

Fortunately for himself, the young man met the famous Russian musician, etonographer and composer N. S. Klenovsky, who was very sensitive and careful about gifted youth. He greatly contributed to the development of the artistic taste of the young musician.

In 1915, the composer composed music for the poem “Leyli and Majnun”, and later created a significant number of piano, vocal, symphonic works. After the Great October Socialist Revolution, he wrote mass songs, works dedicated to the anniversaries of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia and Georgia, many choral compositions, romances.

The central work of Tigranyan, which brought him wide recognition, is the opera “Anush”. The composer conceived it in 1908, carried away by the beautiful poem of the same name by Hovhannes Tumanyan. In 1912, the already completed opera was staged (in its first version) by Alexandropol (Leninakan) schoolchildren. It is curious to note that the first performer of the central role in this opera at that time was the young Shara Talyan, later People’s Artist of the USSR, who for forty years remained the best performer of this part.

In the production of the State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Armenian SSR, “Anush” was shown in Moscow in 1939 at the decade of Armenian art (in a new version, designed for highly qualified solo singers, complete choir and orchestra compositions) and aroused unanimous admiration of the capital’s public.

In his talented opera, having deepened the ideological concept of the author of the poem “Anush”, the composer exposes the pernicious, inhuman prejudices of the patriarchal-clan life, with its traditions of bloody revenge, which brings innumerable suffering to innocent people. There is a lot of genuine drama and lyricism in the music of the opera.

Tigranyan is the author of music for many dramatic performances. Also popular are his “Oriental Dances” and a dance suite created on the basis of the musical material of the dances from the opera “Anush”.

Tigranyan carefully studied folk art. The composer owns many folklore recordings and their artistic adaptations.

Armen Tigranovich Tigranyan died in 1950.