IMMORTALS ORDER

Today, when the enemy every day sings the old song about the resumption of new, large-scale war, it is appropriate to remember those who have dedicated themselves to the sacred cause of defending the motherland and fought not only by their art, but also by weapon.

One of these was composer Lazar Saryan, the son of prominent artist Martiros Saryan.

At the age of 19, in 1939 Lazar Saryan was recruited to the Red Army and served under Kiev for nearly two years. When the Great Patriotic War began, he found himself on the front line, reached the rank of commander of a platoon. Soon Sergeant Saryan was awarded the medal “For Service in Battle”, “Red Banner”. He also directed the regiment’s amateur performances.

When during 5 months there was no news from his son, Martiros Saryan sent a request and received a response from the military commissar of the 7th air defense missile regiment Gribenyuk, who wrote that his son was alive and well, he is brave and enterprising men, as well as an active participant in amateur. By the way, on the orders of the same Gribenyuk Lazar learned to play the accordion in 3 days.

One spring day, during sunset Saryan saw approaching a flock of birds, and the picture became a melody for him. Soon it turned out that those were German “Junkers”, which approached with muffled motors. However, this melody in his memory was not lost. After the war, it will be the leitmotif of his “Symphonic poem”.

In February, 1944 on the review of amateur of southwestern front under the leadership of Lazar Saryan the group of gunners received the first prize, and he and other executives were awarded the Order of the “Red Star”. Jury chairman Isahac Dunayevsky said: “From your amateur comes smell of gunpowder.”

During the war, artist Saryan also worked hard, created 322 artistic and graphic works and was awarded the medal “For labor valor”.

After the war, Lazar Saryan continued his glorious path: Chairman of the Union of Composers of Armenia, Chairman of the Board of the musical fund of Armenia, rector of Conservatory after Komitas, the head of one of the classes of composition.

Qnar Tadevosyan