1997_03 The Daily Collegian March 1997

              Hye Sharzhoom
March 1997
^ Vardan Mamikonian
The Armenian pianist
Vardan Mamikonian was born
on August 27. 1970 in Yerevan.
Armenia where he began to study
rttusic at age seven. A few years
rater he made his first recital tour
in Russia and performed with
orchestras in Moscow. Vilnius.
Riga. Gorky. St. Petersburg, and
Minsk, etc.
At sixteen, he went to Mos¬
cow to continue his studies, first
at the Central Music School, and
then at die Tchaikovsky Conser¬
vatory of Music. During that
period, his career took on an
international dimension when he
appeared throughout Germany.
England and Italy.
France has recently played
a very important role in die de¬
velopment of Mr. Mamikonian's
artistry and career. Critically ac¬
claimed performances at the Festi¬
val of Radio France and the Festi¬
val of Montpellier brought him in a
program oi works by Debussy.
Ravel and Demus. Mr. Dutilleux
hasbeen coaching Mr. Mamikonian
in the composer's work for piano.
He also studies with La/ar Berman.
Although Vardan Mamikonian
won the Armenian Piano Competi¬
tion at the age of ten and the Piano
Competition of the Soviet Repub¬
lics at the age of eleven, it was his
first prize at the International Piano
Competition Yvonne Lefebure in
Paris in 1990 followed by his frfst
prize at die Third Monte Carlo
"World Music Masters" Competi¬
tion (open to top prize winners of
major international competitions
only I in 1992. that secured his repu¬
tation as an artist of the highest
caliber.
Vardan Mamikonian's first re¬
cording ton the French Solstice la¬
bel ) of works by Ravel (Gaspard de
la Nuit). Babdjanian, Tchaikovsky.
Stravinsky and Khatchatunan has
just been released. His traversal of
the complete Chopin Etudes will
be released in September. He has
had a very busy 19^2-93 season,
performing in France. England.
Portugal. Switzerland, and Luxem¬
bourg. Vardan Mamikonian con¬
sistently garners reviews which
compare his playing to Horowitz
and Perlemuter. especially lor his
interpretation of Ravel's Gaspard
de la Nun. He will make his New
York debut at Weill Recital Hall.
Carnegie Hall on September 14.
Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts
Wednesday, April 23,1997 • 8:00 pm
Program:
DEBUSSY: Estampes • RAVEL: Gaspard de la Nuit • CHOPIN: Andante
Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, Opus 22 •Twelve Etudes, Opus 25
co-sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program
For ticket orders and reservations:
Telephone 278-2337 or 323-0195
General Admission $12.50 • Seniors $7.00 • Students $5.00
"Impeccable virtuosity, arid
more so, a rare fullness to
his touch, sensitivity and
refinement of phrasing, and
ceaseless attention to
architectural balance"
(Le Figaro, Paris)
April 24
Commemoration:
Sunday, April 20
A SO,
Armenian touth Federation,
and Honenetmen host
Memorul Commemoration
1:00 pm
Soghomon Tehlenan Memonal
Wednesday, April 23
CandlSjight Vigil
\rtertheM in »
-.  • .- --.•      ■ •_. -
fcOOptn
Thursday April 24
Armenian Students
Organization
Annual Genocide
Commemoration
Free Speech Area
12 noon
All events with the
participation of the
youth of the San
Joaquin Valley
Saroyan, from p. 1
of his contemporary to be experi¬
mental or avant-garde. He espe¬
cially discussed Saroyan's battle
with Ernest Hemingway.
Micah Jendian, San Di¬
ego State graduate student and
Fresno nauve. in his paper "A Jun-
gian Approach to My Name Is
Aram*" provided an insightful read¬
ing of My Name Is Aram. Jendian
utilized a standard generally ap¬
plied to visual art. arguing dial from
an analysis of Jungian archetypes
in Saroyan's work "the voice of all
mankind resounds." The next
speaker. Harry Keyishian. most
recently the editor of Critical Es¬
says on William Saroyan, is Pro¬
fessor of English at Fairleigh
Dickinson University in Madison.
New Jersey, and Director of its
University Press. Discussing "Im¬
migrant Themes in Saroyan's Fic¬
tion." Keyishian dealt with
Saroyan's self imposed responsi¬
bilities regarding newly arrived
immigrants and their children; he
quoted from the introduction of
Saroyan's first book. The Oaring
Young Man on the Flvinii Trape:.e
: "I want to lift (man! form the
nightmare of history to the calm
dream of his own soul."
Harold Aram Veeser. As¬
sociate Professor of English at
Wichita Sate University, literary
critic, author, and editor of numer¬
ous books and articles, in his paper
"Performance Machine: Saroyan
against Literature 'For all Time'."
acknowledged the energy and rapid
on-the-spot composition of
Saroyan. who often typed stand¬
ing, without the aid of outlines or
notes, and only the assistance of the
burning desire rapid on the spot
composition of Saroyan. who often
typed standing, without the aid of
outlines or notes, but with the assis¬
tance of the burning desire of the
performance artist at his typewriter
.oblivious id the final forms oi his
works. According to Veeser.
"Saroyan laid the foundations for
the most important new art of the
fm de siecle. [ranging from] rap¬
pers and hip hop DJ's to the stand-
up monologues of Eric Bogosian."
The final panel. "Saroyan
and the Beats." was chaired by
Anthony Bliss, head of die Depart¬
ment of Rare Books at the Bancroft
Library, and curator of the current
exhibition "Ferlinghetii. City
Lights, and die Beats in San Fran¬
cisco." Professor and poet. Ed¬
ward Halsey Foster, author of
Saroyan. a Study of the Short Fic¬
tion, and Understanding the Beats.
is also President of Tali sman House,
publishers of innovative and avant-
garde writing in the United Slates,
and ihe author of All the Acts art-
Simple Acts his selected poems. In
"Saroyan and Kerouac: Joy Is the
Way I Live." Foster pointed out
that "The expressionist aesthetic
gave Saroyan and Kerouac the per¬
mission to write a rapturous, lyrical
prose that would have been out oi
place in the sober, mainstream
world of the, and suggested that the
two authors are the principal links
in the core American tradition of
placing joy over pragmatic neces¬
sity."
Next. David Stephen
■
Calonne. Associate Professor 01
English at Siena Heights College
in Michigan and author of the
groundbreaking study William
Saroyan: My Real Work is Being.
examined in "Two on the Trapeze"
Saroyan's influence on beat-like
writer Charles Bukowski. stating
"Saroyan is one of a number of
writers who are role models lor
Bukowski in the heroic, romantic,
nonconformist tradition: the artist
who bears stoically the ecstasy and
hurden of genius, and ultimately
seeks a recovery of the sacred life."
UC Berkeley English
major. Michael Kovacs. who along
with Michael Kloster was a student
in Professor Kouymjian's Saroyan
course in the fall semester, pre¬
sented "From Fresno to Lowell:
Saroyan's Influence on Kerouac
and the Beats." According to
Kovacs. "Saroyan and Kerouac
share some oi the same aesthetic
assumptions about literature:
mainly, that as writers they would
ignore conventions in order to con¬
vey the truth of their experiences."
The next panelists. Michael Kloster.
the conference's Logistical Coor¬
dinator and UC Berkeley English
major, continuing on the
Kerouacian theme of the panel.
explained in his paper "Saroyan
and Kerouac on a Quest for it'"
that "Saroyan through his inherent
.humanity and the Beats through
their New Vision sought to per¬
petuate positive societal change
through their writings."
Finally, poet Ronald
Loewinsohn. Professor of the Ber¬
keley English Department, ended
the session with "Saroyan. Kerouac.
and the Beats." which put forth the
idea of the "common nian" in both
authors' work, contrasting
KerouaC's almost forced ldennti-
cation against Saroyan's natural af¬
finity with Ins fellow men.
Following the last panel.
Professor Kouymjian hosted j
roundtable discussion around the
theme: "What Now? The Future ol
Saroyan Studies." during which
the audience and ail speakers ex¬
changed questions and answers.
Veeser reinforced his view that the
current quest for cultural education
should obviously include Saroyan
who was years ahead oi his con¬
temporaries and critics in express¬
ing and interpreting the interaction
which matesthcU.S. acornucopi.i
of cultures. Discussion later turned
10 the publishing ol the conference
papers, for which Kouymjian. the
^Conference Coordinator, had re¬
ceived several inquiries. These
offers and City Light's interest
coupled with valuable argumenta¬
tive discussion by die conimunii).
scholars, and students ma> assure .1
healthy prognosis for Saroyan's
future popularity and continued
appreciation
Virtually every serious
scholar and writer involved in
Saroyan studies was brought to
Berkeley by Prof Kouymjian for
"Saroyan Plus Fifteen." When the
lull texts of the papers are pub¬
lished, the event will probably stand
as a*watershed in Saroyan scholar¬
ship with several new vistas of in¬
quiry thrown open for future inves¬
tigation.