MEMORIAL CONCERT DEDICATED TO THE 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF SIMON HOVHANNISYAN WAS HELD ON MARCH 25th

On March 25th at 19:00 at the CUA concert hall a memorial concert was held dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the holder of the Movses Khorenatsi and Ministry of Culture of RA medals, composer Simon Hovhannisyan.

The text of the “hetq.am” response:

SIMON HOVHANNISYAN’S OPTIMISTIC MUSIC

My best memories of my years of study at the Yerevan was teaching chamber music for over 30 years. The exquisite lecturer’s figurative advice on a student’s academic performance can be applied not only to music, but to all aspects of life. Her professional classes feature chamber works from classical composers to contemporary musicians. Among this wide range of authors, the most sensitive and personal for G. Hovhannisyan is the music of her father, composer S. Hovhannisyan.

On March 25th, a memorial evening dedicated to the 85th anniversary of composer S. Hovhannisyan was held at the CUA concert hall. The composer’s chamber works were performed by former and current students of G. Hovhannisyan.

The life of Simon Hovhannisyan is a story of overcoming. Having lost his sight at the age of five (due to measles), he only did not lag behind in life, but also succeeded in all areas he took on. First, he graduated with honors from Yerevan State University, and then from Yerevan State Conservatory.

“Simon is one of the brightest figures of the Armenian intelligency”. This is how his composition teacher E. Mirzoyan described S. Hovhannisyan.

Those present at the evening remembered his inexhaustible optimism and subtle humor. The composer’s music is the most vivid expression of these traits.

The chamber performances were like a live conversation with the composer. The list of chamber works, which lasted about an hour, also included the “Trio” for piano, violin and cello, dedicated to his wife, and the “Sonatina” for piano, dedicated to his daughter. The evening concluded with “String Quartet № 3”, dedicated to the memory of his son, a violinist who died prematurely.

“There is sorrow, pain, masculinity, beauty, and mastery of the complex genre of the quartet,” this is how composer E. Mirzoyan described S. Hovhannisyan’s “String Quartet № 3.”

Photos by Artsvik Davtyan