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Born: September 15, 1920 - Mersin, Turkey
Died: December 24, 1987 - Oxford, England |
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The Turkish-born English violinist and violin teacher, Manoug Parikian, was born in Mersin, Turkey to Armenian parents. He studied with Louis Pecsaki at the Trinity College of Music in London (1936-1939)..
Manoug Parikian made his début as a concerto soloist in 1947 at Liverpool and in 1949 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. He was concert master of several orchestras - the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (1947-1948), London's Philharmonia Orchestra (Joint Leader 1st Violin, 1949-1957), The English Opera Group (1949-1951), Yorkshire Sinfonia (1976-1978). Prior to his career as a soloist he also was a concertmaster of The London Philharmonic Orchestra. He also led various chamber ensembles and formed duo partnerships with George Malcolm (1950-1955), Lamar Crowson (1956-1965) and in 1966 with Malcolm Binns. From 1957 he enjoyed considerable success as a soloist in all European countries (including the USSR), the Middle East and Canada. In 1976 he formed a piano trio for the Wigmore Hall 75th anniversary series, with Bernard Roberts (who was replaced by Hamish Milne in 1984) and Amaryllis Fleming; the trio went on to achieve international recognition. He served as Musical Director of the Manchester Camerata from 1980 to 1984. He also led the English Opera Group Orchestra between 1949 and 1951, and participated in various Aldeburgh Festival concerts as a chamber musician as well as in opera productions.
Manoug Parikian was an artist of wide musical sympathies with many first performances to his credit (Rawsthorne, Seiber and Skalkottas). Many English composers wrote works for him: examples include Thea Musgrave's Colloquy (1960), Gordon Crosse's Violin Concerto No. 2, Alexander Goehr's Violin Concerto (1961-1962), Elizabeth Maconchy's Serenata concertante (1962) and Hugh Wood's Violin Concerto (1972). Benjamin Britten also composed for Parikian a cadenza to W.A. Mozart's Adagio for Violin and Orchestra K. 261 in 1951, and was assisted by Parikian when revising the solo part of his own violin concerto, originally composed in 1938-1939. He also inspired many younger English composers to write major works for his instrument. An exceptionally stylish violinist, he produced a tone of remarkable purity and displayed a polished technique. He made many important recordings.
Manoug Parikian was an admired teacher of violin at the Royal College of Music in London (1954-1956) and the Royal Academy of Music in London (1959-1987).
In 1957, he married the musician turned antiquarian bookseller Diana Carbutt, who was divorced from the conductor Neville Marriner, with whom she had one son, the clarinettist Andrew Marriner, and one daughter, the writer Susie Harries. They had two sons together. Manoug Parikian died in Oxford in 1987, aged 67. On the day of his death (Christmas Eve) BBC2 featured a performance of his, in the Antonio Stradivari Gala Celebration. His death was announced after the broadcast. |
