Alexander Arutiunian

Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto of 1950 draws on Armenian melodic and rhythmic traditions. He was born in Yerevan, studied piano and composition at the conservatory there and continued in Moscow; the cantata Motherland brought him the Stalin Prize in 1949. Concertos for other instruments followed, with chamber and piano music, songs and large orchestral scores. He taught for decades at the Yerevan State Conservatory and led the Armenian Philharmonic Society. He died in 2012. He headed the Armenian Philharmonic from 1954 to 1990 and was called onto the juries of a number of international competitions. Beyond the concert works he wrote for the stage and for film.