'''Konstantin Saradzhev''' (also ''Constantin Saradgeff'', born '''Saradzhian'''; 8 October 1877 – 22 July 1954) was an Armenian conductor and violinist. He was an advocate of new Russian music, and conducted a number of premieres of works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Nikolai Myaskovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aram Khachaturian. His son Konstantin Konstantinovich Saradzhev was a noted bell ringer and musical theorist.
==Biography== He was born '''Konstantin Solomonovich Saradzhian''' in Derbent, Dagestan, in 1877; his father was a doctor.<ref name=myas>{{Cite web |url=http://www.myaskovsky.ru/?id=24 |title=Nikolai Myaskovsky – The Official Site |access-date=2009-03-19 |archive-date=2011-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727013824/http://www.myaskovsky.ru/?id=24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He attended the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied violin under Jan Hřímalý and theory under Sergei Taneyev,<ref name=grove>Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. 1954</ref> graduating in 1898. He then became a teacher and concert performer. He had further violin study with Otakar Ševčík in Prague in 1900. In 1901 he became conductor of the Moscow Opera Lovers' Club. He also formed his own string quartet. From 1904 to 1908 he studied conducting with Arthur Nikisch in Leipzig. On return to Russia he conducted the summer symphony concerts at Sokolniki Park in 1908, 1910 and 1911. He became director of the State Institute of Theatrical Art.<ref name=grove/> On 8 October 1913 he conducted the first performance of Mussorgsky's much-delayed and still incomplete comic opera ''The Fair at Sorochyntsi'' at the Free Theatre in Moscow. thumbnail|Kostantin Sarajev plaque in Yerevan Saradzhev was an advocate of new music. In 1901 he was a member of a circle of Scriabinists that included the pianist and teacher Alexander Goldenweiser, the pianist Maria Nemenova-Lunts, the writer and critic Vladimir Derzhanovsky and others.<ref>[http://www.toccataclassics.com/artistdetail.php?ID=25 Toccata Classics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417013552/http://www.toccataclassics.com/artistdetail.php?ID=25 |date=2010-04-17 }}</ref> In 1909 Derzhanovsky, his wife Elena Koposova-Derzhanovskaya and Saradzhev organized "Evenings of Modern Music" in Moscow.<ref name=myas/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=lHpZVe5g3h4C&dq=saradzhev&pg=PA49 Amy Nelson, Music for the Revolution]</ref> He conducted the first professional and first fully rehearsed performance of Stravinsky's Symphony in E flat, Op. 1 (Moscow, 22 August 1912, in the very first concert ever devoted entirely to Stravinsky's music).<ref>Richard Taruskin: [https://books.google.com/books?id=NfCNSdnpr1IC&dq=konstantin+saradzhev&pg=PA227 Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions]</ref>
Saradzhev conducted the premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 (25 July/7 August 1912; with the composer as soloist). Prokofiev later wrote that Saradzhev "realized splendidly all my tempos".<ref>[http://nyphil.org/programNotes/0304_Prokofiev_PC1.pdf New York Philharmonic Orchestra program notes]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cdbaby.com/cd/khachaturian |title=CD Baby |access-date=2009-03-19 |archive-date=2012-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004221513/http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/khachaturian |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Saradzhev served in the army in World War I, not returning to Moscow until after the Russian Civil War.<ref name=myas/> He became involved with the Association for Contemporary Music and founded the Evenings of Contemporary Music in 1923. He was professor of conducting at Moscow Conservatory 1922-35, where his notable students included Boris Khaikin<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7173/is_199601/ai_n30028743 Bnet]</ref> and Lev Oborin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.naxos.com/artistinfo/Lev_Oborin/44168.htm |title=Naxos |access-date=2009-03-19 |archive-date=2008-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512063053/http://www.naxos.com/artistinfo/Lev_Oborin/44168.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Saradzhev conducted the first Soviet performance of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto (22 March 1925, Orchestra of the Theatre of the Revolution; soloist Samuil Feinberg).<ref>[http://www.musicwebinternational.com/classrev/2006/Jun06/Feinberg_ARBITER146.htm Music Web International]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1927 he conducted the Moscow premiere of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 2 ''To October'', which followed the world premiere under Nicolai Malko in Leningrad on 5 November, and was the first performance to include the revisions that Shostakovich had made after that premiere.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UbBAFDCmeEQC&dq=laurel+fay+shostakovich+saradzhev+october&pg=PA43 Laurel E. Fay, Shostakovich: A Life]</ref>
He was a leading advocate of Nikolai Myaskovsky's music.<ref name=myas/> He conducted the first performances of Myaskovsky's symphonic poem ''Silence'', Op. 9 (which was dedicated to him),<ref name=opus>[http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/miasopus.htm Compositions by Nikolai Miaskovsky] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210025510/http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/miasopus.htm |date=December 10, 2007 }}</ref> and his symphonies No. 8 (Moscow, 23 May 1926),<ref>[http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/miask/ocd738.htm Review of CD with compositions by Miaskovsky] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213235735/http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/sovrev/miask/ocd738.htm |date=2009-02-13 }}</ref> No. 9 (Moscow, 29 April 1928),<ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/nov02/Miaskovsky6-9.htm Music Web International]</ref> and No. 11 (16 January 1933).<ref name=opus/> Myaskovsky's Symphony No. 10 was dedicated to Saradzhev.<ref name=opus/> In 1934 Myaskovsky wrote a ''Preludium and Fughetta on the name Saradzhev'' (for orchestra, Op. 31H; he also arranged it for piano 4-hands, Op. 31J).<ref name=opus/>
The world premiere of the revised version of Prokofiev's Sinfonietta in A major, Op. 5/48 was under Konstantin Saradzhev's baton (Moscow, 18 November 1930).<ref>[http://www.prokofiev.org/catalog/work.cfm?WorkID=119 The Prokofiev Page] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130130750/http://www.prokofiev.org/catalog/work.cfm?WorkID=119 |date=November 30, 2010 }}</ref>
He was a conductor of the Voronezh State Symphony Orchestra<ref>[http://iatp.vspu.ac.ru/music/vororch.htm Voronezh Music Management Inc.]</ref> and in 1931 – this was 38 years after the composer died and 65 years after it was written – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ''Concert Overture in C minor'' finally received an airing, under Saradzhev's baton in Voronezh.<ref>[http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Overture_in_C_minor Tchaikovsky Research]</ref>
He later became musical director and principal conductor of the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre. In September 1939 he conducted the premiere of Aram Khachaturian's first ballet ''Happiness''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/events/aram100/music.html |title=To the 100th birthday anniversary Aram Khachaturian |access-date=2009-03-19 |archive-date=2009-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502171348/http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/events/aram100/music.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> From 1939 until his death he was director of the Yerevan Conservatory, and taught the orchestra, opera and conducting classes. His notable students there included Alexander Kopylov.<ref>[http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/theatre/orchestra/conductors/detail.php?act26=info&id26=479 The Bolshoi: Conductors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603234252/http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/theatre/orchestra/conductors/detail.php?act26=info&id26=479 |date=2011-06-03 }}</ref> He was principal conductor of the Armenian Philharmonia 1941-44.
He died in Yerevan in 1954, aged 76. Konstantin and Zoya Saradzhev are buried at Yerevan's Central Cemetery,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hush.am/index.php?route=product/hush&grave_id=hush7136dca5e3432e3|title=The memorial of Sarajev Konstandin (Կոնստանդին Սարաջեվ Սողոմոնի) buried at Yerevan's Tokhmakh cemetery|website=hush.am}}</ref> his memorial is a unique work of Art made of basalt.
==Honours== Konstantin Saradzhev was made a Hero of Labour in 1921 and a People's Artist of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1945.
==Sources== * [https://archive.today/20040611175050/http://home.comcast.net/~sean.day/syn-composers.htm (True) Synesthete Composers and Musicians]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.apo.am/full.php?id=15 Saradjian]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saradzhev, Konstantin}} Category:1877 births Category:1954 deaths Category:People from Derbent Category:Moscow Conservatory alumni Category:People's Artists of Armenia Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Category:Russian people of Armenian descent Category:Armenian classical violinists Category:Armenian conductors (music) Category:Conductors (music) from the Russian Empire Category:Expatriates from the Russian Empire in the Ottoman Empire Category:Male classical violinists Category:Pupils of Jan Hřímalý Category:Russian classical violinists Category:Russian male conductors (music) Category:Soviet conductors (music) Category:Soviet music educators