Elena Mardian: Il canto degli Armeni, for Flute/Soprano, Chorus and Organ

Il canto degli Armeni by Elena Mardian, for flute or soprano, chorus and organ. Flute revision by Veronika Khizanishvili; text revision by the Pontificio Collegio Armeno di Roma.

Presentation

Elena Mardieva, professionally known as Elena Mardian, is a renowned composer and violinist. Born on 25th March 1960 in Tbilisi, Georgia, into an Armenian family, Elena embarked on a distinguished musical journey from a very young age. Despite the absence of professional musicians in her family, the passion for music was deeply ingrained, particularly through her father, Constantino Mardiev, who skilfully played the accordion and piano. Her mother, Asia Djaniants, dedicated herself to providing a musical education to all four daughters.

Elena began playing the piano at the age of three and, by the age of five, was captivated by the violin, prompting her to request one from her parents, who readily fulfilled her wish. In 1965, she enrolled in the violin class at the School for the Talented, the “Z. Paliashvili” Musical Gymnasium, where she immediately demonstrated extraordinary musical abilities both as a performer and a composer, conducting her first compositional experiments at the age of nine.

In 1979, she was admitted to the Academic Course in Violin at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire “V. Sarajishvili,” where she met her future husband, Davit Khizanishvili, a young double bassist. She graduated with distinction in 1984. While still a student, she began collaborating as a violinist with the chamber orchestra “Camerata of Tbilisi” and, after graduation, taught Chamber Music at the “Z. Paliashvili” Musical Gymnasium. She subsequently collaborated with the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra and, from 1995 to 2004, with the Tbilisi Opera House in the first violins section, both under the direction of Maestro Jansug Kakhidze.

Despite a flourishing artistic career, Elena had to face the profound social and economic crisis that struck Georgia from 1989. In an interview with the Armenian newspaper “Vrastan,” she stated: “I sought solace and wished to offer it, so the desire to play and create never waned, and music helped me greatly in facing everything. In the dark, cold Tbilisi, under the candlelight, I played and composed at the piano, while my daughters Ana and Veronika, my loved ones, and neighbours listened, lightening their spirits. At the Opera House, during performances, power outages were frequent, but the hall full of spectators patiently waited for the opera to conclude.”

In 1992,

Elena began studying composition with Sulkhan Nasidze, exploring various musical genres while remaining within the chamber-instrumental domain. Among her works from this period are "Adagio e Scherzo" for clarinet and piano, adapted in 2020 for flute and piano by her daughter Veronika Khizanishvili, and pieces for violin and piano "Elegia" and "Il Tempo."

Since 2005, Elena has devoted herself entirely to composition, specialising in spiritual music for soloists, choir, flute, and organ, often based on liturgical texts or texts written by herself with the input of priests. Her notable compositions include "Alleluia," "Der Voghormia" (Lord Have Mercy), "Consolatore," "Gloria," "Spirito Santo," and "Via Crucis."

Her musical language draws from both classical and modern traditions, incorporating elements of Armenian musical heritage. In 2015, she completed the project "Via dell'Anima" (Ed. Sconfinarte), a collection of nine spiritual pieces for soloists, choir, flute, and organ, recorded and adapted for flute and bayan, born from the collaboration with musicians Veronika Khizanishvili and Saria Convertino.

Elena Mardian continues to explore and cultivate her musical gift, offering the world compositions that profoundly touch the hearts of her listeners, as she herself has stated: “Every person has a gift; once you have discovered yours, nurture it and reap the rewards.”