Weiner, William Maksimovich

William Maximovich Weiner was born on November 25, 1955 in Yerevan into a Jewish family. Composer , instrumentalist , behind the shoulders of which is a ten-year school for gifted children. Tchaikovsky ( 1963 - 1974 ) and the Yerevan State Conservatory. Komitas , from which he graduated with distinction in violin from Professor Jean Ter-Mergerian ( 1974 - 1979 ) ^[1] . For more than thirty years he worked as a violinist, and then as a regular author-composer with the Sympho-Jazz Orchestra of the Public Radio and Television of Armenia ^{[1] [2]} .

At the same time, Willy Weiner was actively engaged in teaching activities ( 1979 - 1992 ): he led the violin class at children's music schools in Yerevan , as well as in the Yerevan State. Conservatory them. Komitas ^[4] . In parallel, for more than 12 years ( 1977 - 1989 ), he sang in the Men's Chamber Choir of the Yerevan Opera Theater , which he performed in many cities of the world. With his personal assistance and participation, for the first time in the entire history of Armenian musical culture , a disc with the recording of the original three-part Liturgy for the Komitas men's choir , released by the company Melodiya ( 1989 ), was published ^[6] .

Willy Weiner is the author of symphonic, jazz, chamber-instrumental, piano and choral works. He created a cycle of Jewish orchestral works ^{[7] [8]} , presented in three author albums (“EXODUS” ^[9] , “DREAM” and “MY PEOPLE”) ( 1997–2009 ) ^{[3] [1] [10]} . His music is played today by famous musicians in many countries of the world, including Armenia ^{[11] [12] [7]} , Georgia ^{[13] [8]} , Russia ^{[14] [15]} , Israel ^[16] and Germany ^{[17] [18]} . According to the state order of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, the composer’s musical collection “Piano Pieces“ in C ”” ( ISBN 978-9939-50-176-5 , 2011 ) was also published ^{[19] [12] [20]} , which has already become part of the libraries of leading music academies Europe ^{[21] [22] [23] [24]} .

Social activities Willy Weiner deserves special attention. He was one of the leaders of the Jewish movement since the 70s and stood at the origins of the creation of the Jewish Community in Armenia ^[4] . In the most difficult years of the formation of an independent Armenian state ( 1992-1995 ), he was the head of the Community ^[25] . In 1994 , he founded the Menorah Jewish Cultural Center ^[5] . To this day, under his leadership, many festivals, concerts and cultural events are held ^[25] .

For outstanding multi-year contribution to the culture of the country, the composer was awarded the honorary title - Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia ( 2008 ) ^[3] . On the 30th anniversary of his creative contribution to the development of the classical musical culture of the country, as well as for significant achievements in the field of promoting the principles of tolerance, he was awarded the Diploma of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia ( 2011 ) ^[12] . Since 2013, Willy Weiner has been a member of the Israel Composers Union ^[4] .

In 1927 , the family of his father (Maxim (Mordkh) Zeilikovich Weiner) emigrated from her native Uman to America , but later settled in Holland , near Rotterdam , in the town of Schidam , where they lived for 13 years. In the book "Shadows over Schiedam 2" ("Schaduwen over Schiedam 2" ISBN 9070450259 , 1996 ) about the fate of the Jews during the years of the German occupation ( 1941 - 1945 ), published on the basis of the Dutch municipal archives, there is a whole chapter "The Weiner Family" in which describes in detail the tragic history of their deportation . For the first time, Weiners came to Armenia in 1941. Thanks to Soviet passports, they were taken from a concentration camp near Berlin at the famous “Special echelon” across Europe to the city of Leninakan (now Gyumri ). Leninakan was the final point of the exchange of Jews - Soviet citizens living in Western Europe , for Germans - diplomats working in the USSR . The horrific events of this exchange are described in the book by Valentin Berezhkov “With a diplomatic mission to Berlin 1940 - 1941 ” ( 1966 ). After two months of staying in the Yerevan storage facility (prison camp behind the Tire Plant), the “politically unreliable” cruel reference to North Kazakhstan ( 1941 - 1946 ) followed. The family left Armenia without the head of the family (grandfather of the composer - Zeylik Mordkovich Weiner), he had to urgently go to the hospital because of the perforation of a stomach ulcer. In the autumn of 1946, grandmother Miriam Weinikovna Weiner (Chervonaia) with four children (Maxim, Klara, Armor and Lida) received permission to leave and returned to Yerevan hoping to find her husband, but no trace of his existence could be found ...

The family of the mother of Willy Weiner Ida Markovna of Jerusalem (with his grandmother - Miriam Pinkhasovnaya Jerusalem home. In 1953 , Ida Markovna graduated from Kiev State University and arrived in Yerevan at the invitation of friends. She was introduced to Maxim Weiner, and Willy was born two years later ...

Maxim Zeylikovich and Ida Markovna together with their children - the son William and daughters Zinaida and Marina - lived in Yerevan for more than 40 years. In November 1993 , they all together with their grandchildren repatriated to Israel , where they settled in the city of Akko . And Willy Weiner still lives and works in his native Yerevan .

Orchestral Works

• Exodus (Exodus) ( 2000 , for symphony orchestra)
• “My Jerusalem” ( 1998 , for clarinet, violin and symphony orchestra)
• “Hasidic dance” ( 1997 , for clarinet and symphony orchestra)
• “Funny Story” (Maise) ( 1999 , for clarinet and symphony orchestra)
• Shtetl (Shtetl) ( 1999 , for trumpet and symphony orchestra)
• Rendezvous ( 2005 , for symphony orchestra)
• “Old Barman” ( 2000 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• Lullaby ( 1998 , for clarinet, guitar, flute and string orchestra, with bass and alto vocals)
• "Song of Songs" ( 1999 , for trumpet, piano and symphony orchestra)
• “Song of Love” ( 2006 , for tenor saxophone, clarinet, trumpet and symphony orchestra)
• “Dream” (Halom) ( 2002 , for tenor saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and big band)
• “Jewish Tango” ( 2000 , for clarinet, accordion and symphony orchestra)
• Autumn Romance ( 2003 , for tenor saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and orchestra symphony)
• Klezmer ( 2001 , for clarinet and big band)
• "Joy" (Simha) ( 2001 , for trumpet, clarinet and big band)
• "Lilia Jacob" (Shoshanat Yaakov) ( 2001 , for clarinet, trumpet and symphony orchestra)
• “Chant” (Nigun) ( 2000 , for clarinet and symphony orchestra)
• “Queen Esther's Dance” ( 2003 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• MAKABI ( 2003 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• Vanity of Vanities ( 2002 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• My People (Ami) ( 2006 , for violin and symphony orchestra)
• “Lekhaim” ( 2007 , for symphony jazz orchestra)
• "Climbing" (Aliya) ( 2007 , for the big band)
• “Melody of childhood” ( 2007 , for clarinet, flute, oboe and symphony orchestra)
• Spring Rain ( 2007 , for symphony orchestra)
• “Evening on the Embankment” ( 2008 , for trumpet, tenor, saxophone, clarinet, trombone and symphony orchestra)
• “Once” ( 2008 , for the big band)
• “Memory” (Zikaron) ( 2008 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• “Little Ballerina” ( 2009 , for symphony orchestra)
• "In a good mood" ( 2007 , for the big band)
• “Creation” ( 2005 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• "Moon Waltz" ( 2004 , for piano, vibraphone and string orchestra)
• “Yerevan Samba” ( 2006 , for the big band)
• Autumn Leaves ( 2009 , for piano and symphony orchestra)
• “Pleasant delusion” ( 2009 , for piano and symphony orchestra)

Chamber Instrumental Works

• Lullaby ( 2010 , for clarinet, guitar, flute and string quartet, with bass and alto vocals)
• “Chant” (Nigun) ( 2010 , for cello or clarinet and chamber string orchestra)
• Ami Jewish Rhapsody ( 2012 , for violin and chamber orchestra; for cello and chamber orchestra; for trio of violin, cello and piano; for duet violin and piano)
• Spring Rain ( 2007 , for chamber string orchestra)

Works for Piano

Piano Pieces "in C" ( 2009 - 2011 )

• "Creation"
• "Exodus" (Exodus)
• "Queen Esther's Dance"
• "MAKABI"
• "Vanity"
• "My people" (Ami)
• "Lilia Jacob" (Shoshanat Yaakov)
• "Little Ballerina"
• "Moon Waltz"
• "Rise" (Aliya)
• “Old Bartender”
• "Autumn leaves"
• "Memory" (Zikaron)
• "Pleasant delusion"
• "Yerevan Samba"

Works for Choir

( 2013 - 2017 )

• "Rise" (Aliya)
• "Exodus" (Exodus)
• "Funny story" (Maise)
• "Lullaby"
• "Vanity"
• "Melody of childhood"
• "Moon Waltz"
• “Old Bartender”
• "Spring Rain"
• "In a good mood"
• "Evening on the waterfront"
• "Once..."
• "Autumn leaves"
• Lekhaim

CD

• 2003 - Exodus ^[9] (Narek.com, USA) - Sympho-jazz orchestra.
• 2008 - Khalom (C Digital Print, Armenia) - performed by the Sympho-jazz orchestra.
• 2011 - “Piano Pieces„ in C “” (“C Digital Print”, Armenia) - performed by Anahit Nersesyan .
• 2013 - “Piano Pieces„ in C “” (“CDBRAND”, Russia) - performed by Hayk Melikyan ^[26] .
• 2013 - “Orchestral Pieces” (“CDBRAND”, Russia) - 2 set CD “Exodus” & “Khalom” - performed by the Sympho-jazz orchestra.
• 2018 - “TM PRODUCTION”, “Choral Pieces” - performed by the Yerevan State Chamber Choir.

DVD

• 2006 - DVD “Willy Weiner and the best soloists of Armenia” (“ROFF Technologies”, Russia). It was a musician who played at the Sympho-jazz orchestra.
• 2007 - DVD “EXODUS by Willy Weiner” (“C Digital Print”, Armenia) - Film by Nika.
• 2007 - ANGEL ON THE ROOFS DVD (Kavingrig, Armenia) - Film by Karen Grigoryan dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Marc Chagall's birthday. All music by Willy Weiner.

• Israel Composers' League
• Melodies that are always in the soul
• To the anniversary of the Jewish community
• Jewish composer - Honored Art Worker of Armenia
• One destiny - two joys, two pains
• Willy Weiner, Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, composer
• Passport of his music
• Radio "Voice of Russia" - visiting Artem Vargaftik in the program "Moscow Stars"
• Jewish maestro in Moscow
• Music by maestro Willy Weiner in Israel
• Jewish maestro Willy Weiner in Germany
• Concert in Cologne
• ArmenianCDs - Willy Weiner - EXODUS
• Jewish composer stands tall in Armenia
• William Weiner's music on YouTube