Gerogi Garanian (1934-2010), People’s Artist of Russia, Honoured Artist of the RFSFR
Editor’s Foreword:
Georgi Garanian was one of my faves. Look at the videos and see why. Vechnaya pamyat, Georgi Aramovich. His funeral is due for Thursday, 14 January, with burial at Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow.
BMD
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Molodiei Ensemble performing at the Golden Mask Awards in Moscow
People’s Artist of Russia and famous musician Georgi Garanian died in the 76th year of his life as reported by his widow, Nellie Zakirova. Maestro Garanian wrote the music for 40 films. Suffice it to recall the famous movie, Покровские Ворота (Pokrovskie Vorotoa: Pokrovsky Gate), still beloved by millions of viewers. Until his last days, Maestro Garanian not only continued to play music, but also led several ensembles, including Мелодией (Melodiei: Melody), Краснодарским Биг-бендом (Krasnodarskim Big-Bendom: The Krasnodar Big Band), hosted the programme Джаз-клуб Георгия Гараняна (Jazz Club George Garanian) on Radio Russia Kultura, and performed as a solo alto saxophonist.
Georgi Garanian in a gala concert in the Kremlin
The Melodiei ensemble recorded with the best domestic performers such as Iosif Kobzon, Alla Pugacheva, Lev Leshchenko, and Lyudmila Gurchenko. It played music by Soviet composers, for example, David Tukhmanov, who worked with the band on films and on stage, recorded a CD, По волне моей памяти (Po volne moei pmayati: On the Wave of My Memory), containing film music, and was praised by such cinema/music critics as Grigori Gladkov, Aleksei Rybnikov, Vladimir Dashkevich. At the invitation of one of the best conductors in the world, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, the Melodiei ensemble, with Georgi Garanian as soloist and improviser, participated in the première of Alfred Schnittke’s First Symphony. In 1989, Yuri Nikulin invited Garanian to become the chief conductor of the Circus on Tsvetnom Bulvar. Today, many circus performers use Garanian’s music in their acts.
Georgi Garanian at the Pori Jazz Festival in 2009
Mikhail Shvydkoi noted that in the death of Georgi Garanian Russia lost one of the most brilliant musicians of our time. Garanian’s sudden death was “shocking”, Shvydkoi said. “The music and creativity of this remarkable man always contended with life, it always gave joy to everybody”, he emphasised.
A video is available (in Russian), but there is enough music and images that non-Russian speakers would enjoy it as well:
http://rus.ruvr.ru/vesti/2010/01/11/video_3507825.html
11 January 2010
ITAR-TASS
http://www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=14707285
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