MERI VARDANYAN
Excellent qānon player from Yerevan, Armenia…
A member of the ensemble Kilikia and The Gurdjieff Ensemble
Photos by Jean Luis-Scotto, Peeter Vähi (at Orient 2007), and Dario Caruso
Meri Vardanyan was in Armenia in 1980. She began studying the qānon at the age of seven. A graduate of the Yerevan State Conservatory in qānon and conducting, she is considered one of the finest Armenian artists of her generation.
As a soloist with the State Traditional Ensemble, the Ochagan Ensemble (Armenian medieval music), and The Gurdjieff Ensemble, she has performed in numerous concerts and festivals around the world (Estonia, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Belgium, Russia, Georgia, etc).
In 2009, she moved to Lyon, France, where she pursued musicology studies and earned a Master’s degree at LUniversité Lumière Lyon 2, while continuing her professional musical career. She has collaborated with artists such as Khaled Arman, Vittorio Ghielmi, the Goussan Ensemble, as well as with Maria Farantouri in the ECM 2019 project Beyond the Borders.
Mashtots, fragment, 1 min 50 sec, mp3
Narekatsi, 1 min 19 sec, mp3
Media reviews:
“Klaaspärlimängul” on ikka olnud klassikalise muusika ebatraditsioonilisi esitusi. Kammerõhtu “Pardon, Fryderyk!” idee oli omapärane. /…/ Pariisis tegutsev armeenlanna Meri Vardanjan esitas Chopini muusikat armeenia rahvapillil qanon. Vahelduvalt kõlasid Chopini 10 masurkat ja valssi… Solisti mäng oli veenev, muusikaliselt väljapeetud ja esitatud tehnilise üleolekuga. Nii väliselt kui kõlavärvilt eesti kannelt meenutav pill on tehniliselt ja dünaamika poolest küllaltki mitmekülgne. On tänuväärne ja põnevgi tutvustada klassikalise muusika abil maailmale oma maa rahvapilli. (Alo Põldmäe, Sirp, 31.07.09; Estonia, whole article)
The qānon (in Armenian: քանոն) is a string instrument found in Near Eastern traditional music based on mugham. It is basically a zither with a narrow trapezoidal soundboard. The strings are stretched over a single bridge poised on fish-skins on one end, attached to tuning pegs at the other end.
Management by ERP Artist from Sep 1st, 2008
Contact: e-mail info@erpmusic.com
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