Avanes Ioanesyan
Birthday: January 01, 1881
Death: July 28, 1938
Avanes Hayrapetovich Ioannisyan was a Soviet conductor and teacher. He was born in Shusha. In 1900, he graduated from a non-classical secondary school, after which he worked as a singing teacher at a girls' gymnasium. In 1905, he entered the medical faculty of Novorossiysk University. After graduating, he returned to Shusha, where he earned a living practicing medicine while simultaneously directing a military orchestra. In 1920, he moved to Baku, where he founded the first folk instrument orchestra (the State Azerbaijani Oriental Orchestra of Folk Instruments), whose program consisted of mughams, folk songs, and dances. In 1926 and 1936, the orchestra, under Ioannisyan's direction, performed in Leningrad and Moscow, and in 1938, it represented the republic at the Decade of Culture of the Azerbaijan SSR in Moscow. Ioannisyan's work at the helm of the orchestra was highly praised by the Soviet musicologist V.M. Belyaev. According to the scholar, the conductor played a pioneering role in the development of orchestral Azerbaijani music. At the same time, the musicologist criticized the orchestra's performances for their "homemade" approach and the lack of musical notation for the pieces they performed. Musicologist G.N. Khubov also criticized the orchestra members for learning their material by ear. He also noted that Ioannisyan's experiments in symphonizing mughams were interesting for their unique melodies and rhythms, as well as their colorful instrumentation. Critic A. Konstantin Smis wrote of Ioannisyan's orchestra as an experimental ensemble, noting the musicians' excellent teamwork and high skill. At various times, the orchestra included tar players Enver Mansurov and Kurban Primov, and duduk player Karo Charchoghlyan; the ensemble's total number reached sixty-five members. Along with the State Oriental Orchestra, Ioannisyan founded three women's folk instrument ensembles, designed to demonstrate the changing status of Azerbaijani women. He also taught at the Baku College of Music. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1936) and the Order of the Badge of Honor (April 17, 1938). In July 1938, he died suddenly during an orchestra rehearsal.
