Jean Ter-Merguerian

Jean Ter-Merguerian (; Marseille, 5 October 1935 – Marseille, 29 September 2015) was a French-Armenian virtuoso violinist and violin pedagogue.

Biography Jean Ter-Merguerian has got the first prize for violin at the Marseille Conservatoire at the age of 11. In the same year, his first recital took place, where he performed Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor and Mendelssohn's Concerto in E minor with conductor André Audoli. In 1947 he immigrated in Soviet Armenia, where he continued his musical studies in Yerevan with prof. Karp Dombaïev and then in the Moscow Conservatory in the class of David Oistrakh. Jean Ter-Merguerian is a prizewinner of international violin competitions, such as Prague Spring (1956), Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Queen Elisabeth in Bruxelles (1963). He also got the first Grand Prix at the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris (1961). Along with his concert activities, in ex-USSR, Western Europe, Lebanon, South America, the United States, and Canada, he gave lectures at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. He got the title of "People's Artist of the Armenian SSR". In 1981 he moved to his birthplace of Marseille.

In 1975, during his USA tour, he played in Boston the Violin Concerto by Brahms; The story goes that, at the conclusion of the concert, the conductor Arthur Fiedler, who was very hard to please and given to lavishing praise, embraced the young violinist on stage with paternal love and wished him success. This was the ringing endorsement of the talent of Jean Ter Merguerian, who had just given his first performance in the United States.

His solo performances were accompanied by orchestras of different countries conducted by famous conductors, also Aram Khachaturian having conducted his own violin concerto. Jean Ter-Merguerian was also member of juries of international competitions: "Paganini" in Genoa, Italy, "Sarasate" in Pamplona, Spain, "Tchaikovsky" in Moscow and "Khachaturian" in Yerevan. He lived in France, giving master classes there and abroad. He played on a Nicolò Amati violin. Jean Ter-Merguerian died of cancer, after a long illness at his home, in Marseille, on 29 September 2015. He is survived by his wife, the pianist Lilia, his son Vagram and his daughter.

Recordings Among recital and concerts recordings by Jean Ter-Merguerian are two CD-Rs of live and archive broadcast material (CD-R 1 : "Selection from Performances" / CD-R 2 : "Khachaturian 100th"). The 1966 Armenian Radio broadcast recording of Bach Double Concerto is part of a 2CDs compilation dedicated to his colleague, the violinist Anahit Tsitsikian. In 1999 Jean Ter-Merguerian recorded his only commercial release: Gérard Gasparian's Violin Sonata (1990), with the composer himself at the piano (CD Timpani 1C1055). Armenian Radio TV archives are full of Jean Ter-Merguerian's audio and video recordings, yet to be discovered, some of them already on YouTube

CDs In 2020 Rhine Classics label has released a 5CD box dedicated to his art "The soul of violin": RH-016 | 5CD | JEAN TER-MERGUERIAN - violin’s soul

Live, private, radio TV archives, uncommercial composer work orchestra / conductor / accompanist recording source noteBach, Johann Sebastian Chaconne, in D minor, BWV 1004 violin solo live(1) CD-R 1 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Rondò (Serenade No.7 "Haffner" KV 250) Zemphira Barseghian, piano live(2) CD-R 1 Beethoven, Ludwig van Violin Concerto Op.61, II. Larghetto Armenian State Symphony O. / Loris Tjeknavorian, cond. live(3) CD-R 1 recording of 1st and 3rd mvmt. is probably lostBeethoven, Ludwig van Violin Concerto Op.61, III. Rondò (Allegro) ORTF / Louis Fourestier, cond. (prize winner concert of the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition) live Paris, 27 June 1961 VIDEO interview ORTF interview at the "1st Grand Prize", Jean Ter-Merguerian, with Henryk Szeryng (Jury member) after Prize winners Concert of the 9th Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition live Paris, 27 June 1961 VIDEO Sarasate, Pablo de Habanera, Op.21/2 (Spanish Dance No.2) Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano studio(4) CD-R 1 Sarasate, Pablo de Romanza andaluza, Op.22/1 (Spanish Dance No.3) Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano studio(4) CD-R 1 Sarasate, Pablo de Capricho vasco (Caprice Basque), Op.24 Zemphira Barseghian, piano live(2) CD-R 1 Scott, Cyril Lotus Land, Op.47 No.1 Zemphira Barseghian, piano studio(5) CD-R 1 Szymanowski, Karol La Fontaine d'Arethousa, Op.30 No.1 ("Mythes") Zemphira Barseghian, piano studio(5) CD-R 1 Prokofiev, Sergei Masks ("Romeo and Juliet", Suite Op.75) arr. Jascha Heifetz Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano studio(6) CD-R 1 Khachaturian, Aram Ayshe's Dance ("Gayane", Ballet Suite No.2) Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano studio(6) CD-R 1 Komitas Keler tsoler (Striding, Beaming), arr. Aram Shamshyan Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano live(7) CD-R 1 Komitas Akh Maral jan (Ah, Dear Maral), arr. Aram Shamshyan Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano live(7) CD-R 1 Komitas Groong (The Crane) violin solo live(8) CD-R 1 Sibelius, Jean Violin Concerto, in D minor Op.47, II. Adagio di molto Armenian State Symphony O. / Michael Malountian, cond. live 1970s I & III recording probably lostKhachaturian, Aram Violin Concerto, in D minor (1940) Armenian State Symphony O. / Michael Malountian, cond. radio(9) CD-R 2 Khachaturian, Aram Dance in B-flat Major, Op.1 Nelli Daniel-Bek, piano studio(6) CD-R 2 Khachaturian, Aram Violin Concerto, in D minor (1940) URSS State Symphony O. / Aram Khachaturian, cond. live, 1970s recording probably lostBach, Johann Sebastian Double Concerto for 2 violins, in D minor, BWV 1043 Anahit Tsitsikian (I), Jean Ter-Merguerian (II) / Armenian Radio TV Symphony O. / Raphael Mangassarian, cond live, 1966 CD Brahms, Johannes Violin Concerto, in D major Op.77 Boston Symphony O. / Arthur Fiedler, cond. live, 1975 Khachaturian, Aram Violin Concerto, in D minor (1940) Erevan Symphony O. / Loris Tjeknavorian, cond. late 1970s VIDEO recording of 2nd movement only Gasparian, Gérard Violin Sonata (1990) Gérard Gasparian, piano studio, 1999 CD Timpani 1C1055