Famous composer Tigran Mansurian

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—The Turkish government interfered to ban Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian  to perform his famed “Requiem,” dedicated to the victims of the Genocide to be performed in Mexico.

“Requiem was to be performed in Mexico, but it turned out that Turkish embassy made a big pressure not to declare it as a creation dedicated to the memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide. It sounded in the result of serious opposition for which Armenian embassy and Armenian figures put their efforts,” Tigran Mansurian informed.

He stressed that this tradition was created in Mexico.

“I was explained that Turkey has trade ties with Mexico and used the trade as means of pressure. I have other creations dedicated to what happened in 1915. Koln orchestra ordered from me “Where is your brother Abel?” concert. The mentioned work and Requiem sounded in Germany this year. It was always declared that they are dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims. Germans are doing it with great highlights. And it impresses me,” maestro mentioned.

Mansurian has three songs dedicated to the Armenian Genocide.

“I dreamed for my three works to be introduced during one evening. I would like to have a concert like this,” he said.

Mansurian was born in Beirut and educated in Yerevan, Armenia, where his family had moved in 1947 and settled in Yerevan in 1956. He studied first at the Romanos Melikian Music School under the Armenian composer Edvard Baghdasaryan and later at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Mansurian was the director of the Komitas Conservatory in the 1990s. He has recently retired as an administrator and teacher, and concentrates exclusively on composition. Mansurian’s musical style is characterized mainly by the organic synthesis of ancient Armenian musical traditions and contemporary European composition methods. His oeuvre comprises orchestral works, seven concerti for strings and orchestra, sonatas for cello and piano, three string quartets, madrigals, chamber music and works for solo instruments. His “Monodia” album was nominated for the 2005 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)” and “Best Classical Contemporary Composition”. He was the first Armenian composer to have ever been nominated for Grammy award.