Konstantin Orbelyan: One person can do a lot, especially if he has  such reliable partners

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.