ArmInfo. Artistic director and director of National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Spendiaryan, world-famous conductor Konstantin Orbelian is full of ideas and creative plans. He intends to significantly raise the prestige and level of opera and ballet art in Armenia this season. He is sure that culture is the foundation of a democratic society.
Having great professional experience and significant merits in the field of cultural and musical exchange, Orbelian prepares a number of opera and ballet productions, which in the coming years will become a visiting card of cultural Armenia. "To raise opera art to a rather high level without sufficient funding for that, is almost impossible," the conductor told ArmInfo reporter. - Unfortunately, in Armenia, unlike my homeland of the USA and many other Western countries, traditions of philanthropy have not developed, and the state has not yet mastered the tax and other mechanisms of motivating business structures to invest substantial amounts in support of culture. Only a few of them, such as one of the largest banks in Armenia - Ardshinbank, are ready to do this constantly. " The conductor recalled that in September 2017 Ardshinbank and the Spendiarian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater signed an agreement and announced the beginning of cooperation, within which the bank provides the theater with substantial financial support.
"Thanks to these facilities, we were able to tidy up our Opera House, repair the blackened floors in the foyer of the theater, add elements of design, plans to repair the cupboards without which the theater, as you know, is not a theater, in the future to replace expensive curtains" said Konstantin Orbelian. Our Theater is the most important cultural monument of Armenia and it needs serious interventions: the roof is already leaking from the building, and with intense rain, drops of water fall as much on the stage. "These are large sums to be found," said the director and artistic director of the Opera, stressing that the funds that contribute to the maintenance of the building in the opera house can be from three main sources - the state, sponsorship and the means that Orbelian finds thanks to personal connections .
He expressed the hope that it would not come to extremes and the theater would be able to function normally. At the request of the theater, Ardshinbank recently purchased a unique light projector Barco 40K to demonstrate on the stage three-dimensional images of objects. The maestro particularly noted that such a projector is the only one of its kind in the whole region, therefore it represents a special value for the theater. As a result, we have already managed to implement a unique project - a mega show based on the famous work of Verdi . By the way, thanks to this production, our Theater received a music award from Tsitsernak for the best musical project of the year.
We are planning to hold an international competition for a new production of A.Tigranyan's famous opera "Anush" using the new Barco projector and other new technologies. It will be a classical setting with classical costumes, but the projection capabilities will make the production completely new and impressive.
As the maestro told, another part of the funds received from the general sponsor helped the creative team.
The opera is preparing the production of the famous opera Zhule Masne , based on the novel by Antoine Francois Prevost .
"By the way," said Orbelian, "at the premiere we hope that French President Emmanuel Macron will be present. This is his favorite opera, and we accidentally figured out when they decided to bring this performance from Moscow. Here, on their own, it's impossible to do this, it's too expensive, but it's possible to rent it ". Ardshinbank also helped to rent the production at the Moscow Stanislavsky Theater. The staging is very colorful, beautiful and simply amazing and the main part of de Grieux will be performed by the young soloist of the Yerevan Opera, the winner of the "Golden Mask" award tenor Liparit Avetisyan, who managed to conquer many world scenes.
As the maestro told, the theater is also working on a new production of the opera "Carmen". According to the maestro, in September this theater was invited to the UAE. They ordered two opera performances: "Carmen" by Bizet and "Magic Flute" by Mozart. Carmen, who was on the stage of the Yerevan theater, did not technically approach the theater in Dubai, and in order not to miss the opportunity to perform on the stage of a luxury theater, it was decided to put a new "Carmen". "Again, the question arose, and where to get the money? The state has no money for a new production. I turned to my friends, to the sponsor - Ardshinbank, who did not stint and allocated the appropriate amount for us to implement a new production of "Carmen" and a new production of "The Magic Flute". These two new productions will become the hallmark of our theater during the big tours in Dubai (UAE), timed to the 20th Anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and the UAE.
However, brilliant ballets , of Khachaturian, of Harutyunyan, is preparing to go on stage operetta Tigran Chuhadzhana find and will find their listeners and fans both in Armenia and abroad. "Our opera house is the only one for the Armenians of this world. The high art of opera and ballet able to be not only an element of prestige of Armenia as a country where living and working talented people, writers and artists, the real masters of culture, but also a mirror of the great history of our people, their aspirations, his desire to keep up with the world's cultural trends and even be, at times, half a step ahead, "the maestro believes," and therefore I gratefully treat all those who sincerely share our passion. "
There Konstantin Orbelian another dream, which will definitely be put into practice - to make Opera cultural haven for children through staging children's plays, teaches kids to the theater, to the opera: Armenian folk Tales, such as "Kikos" by composer Vartan Ajemyan. The theater intends to stage ballet performances for children. It is the ballet "Cipollino" for the music of Karen Khachaturian, which was purchased from the Bolshoi Theater and which will enter the theater's main repertoire. The ballet will be staged in Yerevan by famous choreographer, Honored Art Worker of Russia Heinrich Mayorov, author of the very first production of "Cipollino" in Kiev back in 1974. After Majorov got acquainted with the ballet troupe of the theater, he expressed confidence that this would be one of the best productions of this ballet in the whole history of its existence. "Making plays for children is important. After all, it is from a small age that you need to instill love for art, thereby educating our future viewer. The theater begins with a hanger, and the love of the theater - since childhood, "- said Konstantin Orbelian.
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