Event marking 155th anniversary of Alexander Spendiaryan’s birth held in Moscow

A ceremonial event dedicated to the 155th anniversary of the birth of renowned composer Alexander Spendiaryan was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in the Russian Federation.

Armenpress correspondent in Moscow reported that the initiative was carried out under the auspices of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, through the joint efforts of the Alexander Spendiaryan House-Museum in Yerevan and the Cultural Center of the Embassy of Armenia in Russia.

Vladimir Gabbe, head of the embassy’s Cultural Center, delivered opening remarks at the event.

Welcoming the attendees, he emphasized that the evening dedicated to the great Armenian composer had brought together admirers of Spendiaryan’s art and friends of the Armenian people in the embassy’s legendary ceremonial hall. In his remarks, Gabbe addressed the challenges facing the modern world and stressed the importance of speaking through the language of culture and art, recalling the role of Spendiaryan, Khachaturian and other prominent figures in establishing centuries-old intercultural cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

The head of the embassy’s Cultural Center thanked the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, led by Zhanna Andreasyan, for its active support in organizing the event, and spoke with particular warmth about the dedicated work of Marine Otaryan, director of the Spendiaryan House-Museum in Yerevan.

For her part, Cultural Merit Worker of Armenia Marine Otaryan addressed the participants in a video message. She noted that the musical evening had originally been planned for 2021 as part of celebrations marking the composer’s 150th anniversary under the auspices of UNESCO, but the opportunity arose to bring it to fruition five years later. Otaryan highly praised the efforts of the team she heads, the staff of Armenia’s first musical memorial museum, which has been operating since 1963, in promoting the composer’s cultural heritage, and highlighted the importance of organizing a temporary exhibition titled “Meetings at the Lazarian Institute” at the Embassy of Armenia in Moscow.

During the event, the audience was presented with a documentary exhibition authored by Marine Otaryan, dedicated to Alexander Spendiaryan’s creative journey, his years of study at the Lazarian Institute in Moscow, as well as episodes from his friendship with composer Aram Khachaturian and other prominent cultural figures.

The artistic program featured works by Alexander Spendiaryan and Aram Khachaturian, performed by the Khachaturian Trio.

Also performing at the event were Armine Grigoryan, director of the Aram Khachaturian House-Museum, professor at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and pianist of the Khachaturian Trio, and Inessa Khachatryan, head of the Exhibition and Educational Programs Department of the Alexander Spendiaryan House-Museum.

Officials of the Embassy of Armenia in Russia, descendants of Alexander Spendiaryan and representatives of the Armenian community in Moscow attended the event.