Terteryan, Avet
Terteryan, Avet
Terteryan, Avet, Azerbaijani composer and teacher; b. Baku, July 29, 1929; d. Yekaterinburg, Dec. 11, 1994. He received training in composition from Mirzoyan at the Yerevan Cons. (1952-57). In 1970 he joined its faculty as an instructor, and in 1983 he became a prof. Tertery-an’s music is made forceful with ancient sonorities, employing a dramatic character that verges on barely controlled chaos. His influences range from Armenian pagan rites to Western 12-tone dodecaphony The backbone of his relatively small output, his syms., explore paths that were daring in the Soviet Union of the 1970s, often given solo roles to folk instruments such as the duduk, zurna, and kemancha.
Works
dramatic: The Ring of Fire, opera (1967; rev. 1977); Monologue Richard III, ballet (1977-79); The Earthquake in Chile, after Kleist (1986). ORCH.: 9 syms: No. 1 for Brass, Percussion, Piano, Organ, and Bass Guitar (1969), No. 2 for Men’s Chorus, Mixed Chorus, and Orch. (1972), No. 3 for Duduk, Zurna, and Orch. (1975), No. 4 for Orch. and Tape (1976), No. 5 for Zuran, Kyamancha, Burvar, and Orch. (1978), No. 6 (1981), No. 7 (1987), No. 8 (1989), and No. 9 (1994; unfinished). CHAMBER: Cello Sonata (1955); 2 string quartets (1962, 1991); Poem for Cello and Piano (1964).
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire