Marianna Harutyunyan

(1923-2012)

Honored Artist of Armenia
Professor of the Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas

Marianna Harutyunyan was born on December 12, 1923, in Tbilisi into a family of the famous singer, People’s Artist of the USSR Haykanoush Danielyan. Her father, Harutyun Harutyunyan, an engineer by profession, graduated from the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute and was an active participant in the construction of the Kirovakan Chemical Plant.

At first, young Marianna studied music in Tbilisi, at the Third Music School. A group of gifted children was organized there, and she was a member of the group. During the Great Patriotic War, Marianna Harutyunyan moved to Yerevan and entered the Komitas Yerevan State Conservatory in the Piano Department (class of Georgy Sarajev), from which she graduated with honors in 1947.

On November 9, 1947, she performed as a soloist. Marianna Harutyunyan performed Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38 with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Professor Konstantin Saradzhev. At the rehearsals of the concert, she met her future husband, trumpeter of the Philharmonic Orchestra Michael Khachatryan. They lived a long and happy life together.

In 1952, Marianna Harutyunyan completed her studies at the Yerevan State Conservatory for the second time, now in the Vocal Department, in the class of her mother, Professor Haykanoush Danielyan. After graduation, for a long time, Marianna Harutyunyan could not decide whether to be a singer or a pianist.

After graduating from university, Harutyunyan worked at the Yerevan State Conservatory as an accompanist from 1948 to 1962. At the same time, she began working at The Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (1952-1959), where she sang the parts of Rosina in Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and Anoush in Armen Tigranyan’s eponymous opera.

She could have continued her singing activity but chose an accompanist performance. Her decision to become an accompanist was influenced by the composer and pianist Alexander Dolukhanyan and his accompanist mastery. For a long time, attending with great pleasure the rehearsals of Haykanoush Danielyan and Alexander Dolukhanyan, Marianna highly appreciated his accompanist skills.

In 1946, while still studying at the conservatory, Marianna Harutyunyan participated as an accompanist in the First Republican Vocal Competition, dedicated to the work of Komitas. Fifteen vocalists (among them Armenak Ter-Abramyan, Tatevik Sazandaryan, Shara Talyan, and others) and five accompanists, among whom were already experienced (Olga Wagenheim, Nina Saghyan), participated in the competition. It was both a responsibility and an honor to perform with them.

A solo concert with singer Maria Jalalyan in 1948 marked the beginning of her activity in the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra as an accompanist (she worked until the end of the 1980s). In 1959, in Leninakan (now Gyumri), there was a concert with cellist Gurgen Adamyan. Since 1960, on the Armenian Radio and Television, there have been regular solo concerts and performances with famous soloists. Among them were singers Olga Gabayan, Gohar Galachyan, Lusine Zakaryan, Arshavir Karapetyan, Vahan Mirakyan, Artashes Hayryan, Valeri Harutyunyan, Melania Abovyan, Araks Davtyan, Henrikh Alaverdyan, Edvard Baghdasaryan, Araks Mansuryan, Yelena Mikaelyan, Anahit Tutunjyan, Ellada Chakhoyan, Isabella Aydinyan, Ruzanna Baghdasaryan, Sarkis Guyumjyan, Anna Nshanyan, Alice Ekimbashyan, folk song performers Hovhannes Badalyan, Norayr Mnatsakanyan, violinists Ruben Aharonyan, Anahit Tsitsikyan, Zoya Petrosyan, Zareh Sahakyants, cellists Gurgen Adamyan, Medea Abrahamyan, folk musicians Levon Madoyan (duduk), Gurgen Mirzoyan (kamancha), Ilya Minasyan (Shvi — arm: շվի, «whistle», is an Armenian fipple flute), and others.

Marianna Harutyunyan performed as an accompanist with People’s Artists of the USSR Zara Dolukhanova and Bolshoi Theater soloist Makvala Kasrashvili.

With violinist Eduard Dayan, Harutyunyan performed a series of concerts in which all ten Ludwig van Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano were performed. Let us note another remarkable performance — a concert in Paris (in 1975), dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia (soloists — Lusine Zaqarian and Raffi Hovhannisyan, performers of folk songs).

Marianna Harutyunyan was twice awarded a diploma for the best accompaniment: at the First Republican Competition of Young Vocalists in 1971 and the All-Union Glinka Vocal Competition, held in Yerevan in 1984, where she accompanied her student, vocalist Anahit Nersisyan, who was awarded the 2nd prize.

Marianna Harutyunyan was the first performer-accompanist in performances of many works by Armenian composers.

On March 7, 1967, Marianna Harutyunyan was awarded the Honored Artist of Armenia.

Marianna Harutyunyan participated in the Days of Armenian Art in Uzbekistan (1961), Bulgaria (1965), Czechoslovakia, and Hungary (1966), as well as in Poland and Romania. Together with Lusine Zaqarian, Ruben Aharonyan, and Medea Abrahamyan, starting in 1969, she had concerts in the USA, Canada (1976), Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Argentina (1975), Holland, Cyprus, Italy, East Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Syria (1982). Marianna Harutyunyan traveled to France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy several times.

Radio Armenia stores recordings with the participation of Harutyunyan. These are more than two hundred recordings with solo vocalists, including Pavel Lisitsian (thirteen works), Melania Abovyan, Marietta Antonyan, Izabella Aydinyan, Lusine Amara (USA), David Varzhapetyan, Gohar Galachyan, Olga Gabayan, Zara Dolukhanova, Lusine Zakaryan (thirty-five works), Mihran Erkat, Medea Abrahamyan, Ruben Aharonyan, Zareh Sahakyants, and others.

In 1963, Marianna Harutyunyan began teaching at the conservatory: first, she taught a chamber singing class, and from 1968, a solo singing class. In 1978, she received the title of Associate Professor, and in 1985 — Professor. Among Marianna Harutyunyan’s students were Melania Abovyan, Anahit Nersesyan, Liliya Ovchyan, Suren Shahidjanyan, Narine Ojakhyan, Alice Ekimbashyan, and many others. Now they work in various musical institutions in Armenia and abroad.

Honored Artist of Armenia, Professor Marianna Harutyunyan was awarded five certificates of honor from the Supreme Council of Armenia, the Stavropol, Sakhalin, and Ulyanovsk regional committees of the CPSU. The Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations awarded her for active work and participation in the Days, Weeks, and Decades of Armenian Art in socialist countries of Europe. She also received numerous letters of appreciation from the leadership of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

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