Armenian News... A Topalian
The Independent
Argentina Armenians keep culture alive - Video
16 August 2015
http://www.independent.co.uk/video/?videoid=4190830302001
armenpress.am
"ANCIENT TURKEY" HALL RENAMED INTO "ANATOLIA AND
URARTU" IN BRITISH MUSEUM BY EFFORTS OF ARMENIANS
19 August, 2015
YEREVAN,. "Aincient Turkey" hall of London's British Museum has
19 August, 2015
YEREVAN,. "Aincient Turkey" hall of London's British Museum has
been renamed into "Anatolia and Urartu".
"Armenpress" reports that the author of the initiative, Armenian Zapyur
Batikyan wrote about this on her Facebook page and installed a photo.
"Of course, I would prefer it to be named Armenia or Armenian
Highlands, but this was the first step towards restoration of justice.
First and foremost, I am thankful to late Mrs. Karine Ghazinyan,
Ambassador of Armenia to Great Britain, who supported my initiative,
as well as to the Minister of Culture, and those Armenian and British
historians who had their contribution to this work", she wrote,
expressing gratitude to Gagik, who helped to organize the petition
and gather over 12 thousand signatures.
The British Museum was established in 1753. It is the main
archeological museum of current Great Britain and previous British
Empire. It is the second most popular museum in the world, after
Louvre.
"Armenpress" reports that the author of the initiative, Armenian Zapyur
Batikyan wrote about this on her Facebook page and installed a photo.
"Of course, I would prefer it to be named Armenia or Armenian
Highlands, but this was the first step towards restoration of justice.
First and foremost, I am thankful to late Mrs. Karine Ghazinyan,
Ambassador of Armenia to Great Britain, who supported my initiative,
as well as to the Minister of Culture, and those Armenian and British
historians who had their contribution to this work", she wrote,
expressing gratitude to Gagik, who helped to organize the petition
and gather over 12 thousand signatures.
The British Museum was established in 1753. It is the main
archeological museum of current Great Britain and previous British
Empire. It is the second most popular museum in the world, after
Louvre.
RFE/RL Report
New Constitution To Regulate Armenia's Entry Into Blocs
Irina Hovhannisyan
19.08.2015
Armenia's possible accession to new "supranational" alliances would
have to be put on a referendum and approved by most voters, according
to one of the constitutional changes drafted by a commission formed by
President Serzh Sarkisian.
The proposed clause has prompted diametrically opposite
interpretations by representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) and Zharangutyun (Heritage), one of the opposition
parties rejecting the constitutional reform.
Armen Martirosian, Zharangutyun's deputy chairman, claimed on
Wednesday that the draft amendment, if passed, will make it easier for
the Armenian authorities to further "limit our sovereignty." He said
this might occur through an eventual transformation of the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) into a more tightly-knit and political bloc led
by Russia.
Zharangutyun is the sole parliamentary force to have openly opposed
Armenia's membership in the EEU, which took effect in early
January. The party says that the EEU, which also comprises Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was cobbled together by Russia with the
ultimate aim of restoring the Soviet Union. The Sarkisian
administration has dismissed such claims.
"On paper, the Soviet Union was a union of effectively independent
states," Martirosian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). "But in reality, all key decisions were the
prerogative of the central government."
"A similar situation may emerge now. This new constitution allows
that," he claimed.
Hovannes Sahakian, a senior HHK lawmaker, disagreed, saying that the
amendment in question would on the contrary serve as an additional
safeguard against arbitrary government decisions endangering Armenia's
national independence. "I don' think that we should look for dangers
here," he said. "I don't see anything bad here."
Ara Ghazarian, an independent legal, expert, also defended the
proposed change. "It's better to make such decisions in a referendum
than in someone's office," he said.
"The EEU is a case in point," Ghazarian went on, recalling Sarkisian's
unexpected decision in September 2013 to make Armenia part of the
Russian-led union. The decision was announced immediately after
Sarkisian's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
New Constitution To Regulate Armenia's Entry Into Blocs
Irina Hovhannisyan
19.08.2015
Armenia's possible accession to new "supranational" alliances would
have to be put on a referendum and approved by most voters, according
to one of the constitutional changes drafted by a commission formed by
President Serzh Sarkisian.
The proposed clause has prompted diametrically opposite
interpretations by representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) and Zharangutyun (Heritage), one of the opposition
parties rejecting the constitutional reform.
Armen Martirosian, Zharangutyun's deputy chairman, claimed on
Wednesday that the draft amendment, if passed, will make it easier for
the Armenian authorities to further "limit our sovereignty." He said
this might occur through an eventual transformation of the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) into a more tightly-knit and political bloc led
by Russia.
Zharangutyun is the sole parliamentary force to have openly opposed
Armenia's membership in the EEU, which took effect in early
January. The party says that the EEU, which also comprises Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was cobbled together by Russia with the
ultimate aim of restoring the Soviet Union. The Sarkisian
administration has dismissed such claims.
"On paper, the Soviet Union was a union of effectively independent
states," Martirosian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). "But in reality, all key decisions were the
prerogative of the central government."
"A similar situation may emerge now. This new constitution allows
that," he claimed.
Hovannes Sahakian, a senior HHK lawmaker, disagreed, saying that the
amendment in question would on the contrary serve as an additional
safeguard against arbitrary government decisions endangering Armenia's
national independence. "I don' think that we should look for dangers
here," he said. "I don't see anything bad here."
Ara Ghazarian, an independent legal, expert, also defended the
proposed change. "It's better to make such decisions in a referendum
than in someone's office," he said.
"The EEU is a case in point," Ghazarian went on, recalling Sarkisian's
unexpected decision in September 2013 to make Armenia part of the
Russian-led union. The decision was announced immediately after
Sarkisian's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
RESEARCH: TURKS, KURDS WHO REACHED OUT TO ARMENIANS DURING GENOCIDE
August 21, 2015
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and
the Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies at Clark University together with Professor Taner
Akcam have initiated a major research.
This vast research project aims at collecting information on those
Turks and Kurds that reached out to the victims of the Armenian
Genocide.
The main mission of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is
to unveil untold stories of rescue and solidarity. The issue of the
Muslim rescuers who went out of their way to save Armenians at the
beginning of the 20th century is an unchartered territory waiting to
be discovered, is stated in the preamble of the report.
"It is a great honor to join forces with Professor Taner Akcam,
a world-renowned Turkish historian and sociologist who has devoted
his efforts to try and reconcile the narratives of the Armenian
and Turks, and his chair at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies at Clark University.
This is a unique attempt to identify and honor the many Turks and
Kurds that lent a hand to their Armenian neighbors in one of the
darkest periods of mankind. The Wallenberg Foundation does the same
concerning the Holocaust. Rather than focusing on the evil, our NGO
strives to highlight the spirit of solidarity of the women and men
who, like Raoul Wallenberg, oftentimes risked their own lives to
save others. This is our duty towards those saviors and, above all,
our obligation to the young generations that should be aware of these
role models.
The research work conducted in this regard was undertaken in a in-depth
and painstaking manner in Muslim (Turkish and Kurdish) provinces where
most of the killings occurred, and where most of these stories have
been passed on verbally from generation to generation.
As promised, the research is now published and presented to the public
light in order to be examined and commented by experts and lay readers
as well. Recognition of goodness is one of the pillars of our mission,
and we are confident that this ambitious research will enable us to
add more names to the list of rescuers," the Foundation said.
tert.am
August 21, 2015
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and
the Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies at Clark University together with Professor Taner
Akcam have initiated a major research.
This vast research project aims at collecting information on those
Turks and Kurds that reached out to the victims of the Armenian
Genocide.
The main mission of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is
to unveil untold stories of rescue and solidarity. The issue of the
Muslim rescuers who went out of their way to save Armenians at the
beginning of the 20th century is an unchartered territory waiting to
be discovered, is stated in the preamble of the report.
"It is a great honor to join forces with Professor Taner Akcam,
a world-renowned Turkish historian and sociologist who has devoted
his efforts to try and reconcile the narratives of the Armenian
and Turks, and his chair at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies at Clark University.
This is a unique attempt to identify and honor the many Turks and
Kurds that lent a hand to their Armenian neighbors in one of the
darkest periods of mankind. The Wallenberg Foundation does the same
concerning the Holocaust. Rather than focusing on the evil, our NGO
strives to highlight the spirit of solidarity of the women and men
who, like Raoul Wallenberg, oftentimes risked their own lives to
save others. This is our duty towards those saviors and, above all,
our obligation to the young generations that should be aware of these
role models.
The research work conducted in this regard was undertaken in a in-depth
and painstaking manner in Muslim (Turkish and Kurdish) provinces where
most of the killings occurred, and where most of these stories have
been passed on verbally from generation to generation.
As promised, the research is now published and presented to the public
light in order to be examined and commented by experts and lay readers
as well. Recognition of goodness is one of the pillars of our mission,
and we are confident that this ambitious research will enable us to
add more names to the list of rescuers," the Foundation said.
tert.am
ARMENIA'S FEMALE POPULATION HITS RECORD HIGH ON
GLOBAL SCALE - REPORT
20.08.15
Armenia has been listed among the world countries where women appear
to be essentially outnumbering men.
The finding was published by the Washington Post which cited the
United Nations' estimates for 2015.
Along with Armenia, other countries with the largest female
populations turn out to be Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Russia and Ukraine. Those countries are also reported to be leading
world statistics in the life-expectancy gap between men and women.
"The national differences between male and female populations change
with age. In Russia, for example, the gender ratio is clearly divided
by age groups. There are more new-born boys than girls in Russia
each year. Men continue to outnumber women until the age of 31. But
from the age of 32, there are more females than males, with the gap
growing wider every year.
"Much of the gender discrepancy can be explained by history. The
demographics in the former Soviet Union have been greatly influenced by
its history during the 2oth century. According to the very first census
conducted in Russia 1897, there were 98.9 men for every 100 women. It
almost matches today's gender ratio.
20.08.15
Armenia has been listed among the world countries where women appear
to be essentially outnumbering men.
The finding was published by the Washington Post which cited the
United Nations' estimates for 2015.
Along with Armenia, other countries with the largest female
populations turn out to be Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Russia and Ukraine. Those countries are also reported to be leading
world statistics in the life-expectancy gap between men and women.
"The national differences between male and female populations change
with age. In Russia, for example, the gender ratio is clearly divided
by age groups. There are more new-born boys than girls in Russia
each year. Men continue to outnumber women until the age of 31. But
from the age of 32, there are more females than males, with the gap
growing wider every year.
"Much of the gender discrepancy can be explained by history. The
demographics in the former Soviet Union have been greatly influenced by
its history during the 2oth century. According to the very first census
conducted in Russia 1897, there were 98.9 men for every 100 women. It
almost matches today's gender ratio.
ARMENIAN DRAM AMONG 10 CURRENCIES AT RISK OF DEVALUATION: BLOOMBERG
August 21, 2015
Thursday, Aug. 20's 22 percent plunge in the
tenge after Kazakhstan abandoned control of its exchange rate
revealed a sense of urgency among policy makers: they had tried a
managed depreciation just a day earlier. The escalation signaled
to investors that it has become too costly for developing nations
to defend their currencies. Vietnam also devalued the dong, while
freely traded currencies such the South African rand and Turkey's
lira extended losses.
The trigger for the wave of depreciations was China's decision to
weaken the yuan on Aug. 11, leaving countries competing with the
world's second-largest economy in export markets and those selling
goods to it at a disadvantage. That added to the woes of emerging
markets already reeling from a looming increase in U.S. interest rates
and weakness in oil prices. Some, like the countries of the former
Soviet Union, face an additional problem: the ruble's continued
weakness puts them in an unfavorable position in their trade with
Russia.
According to Bloomberg, below are the currencies that are among those
most at risk from this conflux of global developments:
* Saudi Arabia's riyal: Armed with $672 billion in foreign reserves,
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has enough capacity to
hold the peg, according to Deutsche Bank AG. Nonetheless, speculators
are betting on a break of the currency regime as crude oil tumbled
to a seven-year low. The forwards, contracts used by traders to bet
on or hedge against future price moves, fell to the weakest since
2003, implying about a 1 percent decline in the riyal over the next
12 months.
* Turkmenistan's manat: This oil-exporting nation with close economic
ties to Russia devalued its currency by 19 percent in January.
Stockholm-based SEB AB forecasts a further weakening of as much as
20 percent in the next six months.
* Tajikistan's somoni: The nation has close ties with Kazakhstan,
which accounts for about 11 percent of trade, and SEB expects a
depreciation of 10 to 20 percent.
* Armenia's dram: The currency has lost 15 percent in the past
August 21, 2015
Thursday, Aug. 20's 22 percent plunge in the
tenge after Kazakhstan abandoned control of its exchange rate
revealed a sense of urgency among policy makers: they had tried a
managed depreciation just a day earlier. The escalation signaled
to investors that it has become too costly for developing nations
to defend their currencies. Vietnam also devalued the dong, while
freely traded currencies such the South African rand and Turkey's
lira extended losses.
The trigger for the wave of depreciations was China's decision to
weaken the yuan on Aug. 11, leaving countries competing with the
world's second-largest economy in export markets and those selling
goods to it at a disadvantage. That added to the woes of emerging
markets already reeling from a looming increase in U.S. interest rates
and weakness in oil prices. Some, like the countries of the former
Soviet Union, face an additional problem: the ruble's continued
weakness puts them in an unfavorable position in their trade with
Russia.
According to Bloomberg, below are the currencies that are among those
most at risk from this conflux of global developments:
* Saudi Arabia's riyal: Armed with $672 billion in foreign reserves,
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has enough capacity to
hold the peg, according to Deutsche Bank AG. Nonetheless, speculators
are betting on a break of the currency regime as crude oil tumbled
to a seven-year low. The forwards, contracts used by traders to bet
on or hedge against future price moves, fell to the weakest since
2003, implying about a 1 percent decline in the riyal over the next
12 months.
* Turkmenistan's manat: This oil-exporting nation with close economic
ties to Russia devalued its currency by 19 percent in January.
Stockholm-based SEB AB forecasts a further weakening of as much as
20 percent in the next six months.
* Tajikistan's somoni: The nation has close ties with Kazakhstan,
which accounts for about 11 percent of trade, and SEB expects a
depreciation of 10 to 20 percent.
* Armenia's dram: The currency has lost 15 percent in the past
12 months, compared with a 46 percent drop in the ruble. A
quarter of the country's trade is with Russia.
* Kyrgyzstan's som: The weaker tenge will put pressure the som because
of this country's ties to Kazakhstan, according to BMI Research.
* Egypt's pound: The country has limited investors' access to foreign
currencies amid a shortage since the 2011 Arab Spring protests.
Traders are betting the pound will weaken about 22 percent in a year,
according to 12-month non-deliverable forwards.
* Kyrgyzstan's som: The weaker tenge will put pressure the som because
of this country's ties to Kazakhstan, according to BMI Research.
* Egypt's pound: The country has limited investors' access to foreign
currencies amid a shortage since the 2011 Arab Spring protests.
Traders are betting the pound will weaken about 22 percent in a year,
according to 12-month non-deliverable forwards.
armenpress.am
UK AMBASSADOR: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
SETTLEMENT MUST REMAIN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY FOR
ALL WHO CARE ABOUT THIS REGION
21 August, 2015
21 August, 2015
YEREVAN, Irfan Siddiq, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland to Azerbaijan announced that Nagorno
-Karabakh conflict settlement must remain absolute priority
for all who care about this region.
"Armenpress" reports that Irfan Siddiq made the statement during his
interview with APA.
"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains one of the most important
regional issues. The conflict is a cancer that contaminates the whole
region, displacing people, taking the lives of those on the front
line, creating instability and preventing further regional economic
co-operation. Resolution of the conflict must remain an absolute
priority for all who care about this region. Like all those following
this issue, my hopes for the rest of the year are, unfortunately,
greater than my expectations. I hope that before the end of this
year the peace talks will become more serious with another meeting of
the Presidents as part of a sustained negotiation effort. The Minsk
Group Co-Chairs have suggested comprehensive peace talks as one way
of injecting momentum into the process. I support this call and urge
all parties to respond positively to this suggestion to find a way
to break the deadlock and move away from the painful and unhelpful
status quo" said Irfan Siddiq.
mediamax.am
for all who care about this region.
"Armenpress" reports that Irfan Siddiq made the statement during his
interview with APA.
"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains one of the most important
regional issues. The conflict is a cancer that contaminates the whole
region, displacing people, taking the lives of those on the front
line, creating instability and preventing further regional economic
co-operation. Resolution of the conflict must remain an absolute
priority for all who care about this region. Like all those following
this issue, my hopes for the rest of the year are, unfortunately,
greater than my expectations. I hope that before the end of this
year the peace talks will become more serious with another meeting of
the Presidents as part of a sustained negotiation effort. The Minsk
Group Co-Chairs have suggested comprehensive peace talks as one way
of injecting momentum into the process. I support this call and urge
all parties to respond positively to this suggestion to find a way
to break the deadlock and move away from the painful and unhelpful
status quo" said Irfan Siddiq.
mediamax.am
IAN GILLAN'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED IN YEREVAN
August 20, 2015 09:33
EXCLUSIVE
On August 19 evening, the 70th anniversary of rock legend, Deep
August 20, 2015 09:33
EXCLUSIVE
On August 19 evening, the 70th anniversary of rock legend, Deep
Purple frontman Ian Gillan was celebrated in Yerevan.
Ian Gillan's fans and people involved in the singer's Armenia-related
projects had come together at Mediamax office.
The guests watched "Pictures of Home" documentary telling about Ian
Gillan's affinity with Armenia and drank a toast to their favourite
singer.
THEATRE REVIEW: GARINE, ARCOLA THEATRE, UK
British Theatre.com
Aug 18 2015
REVIEW: Garine, Arcola Theatre
By Tim Hochstrasser
4 Stars
The annual Grimeborn Opera Festival aims not only to provide a showcase
for contemporary opera and new versions of established repertory,
but also to highlight works once popular and now forgotten.
Gariné is one such work, and a rare bird on any number of counts.
It's a long five-act operetta from the 1870s and thus contemporary with
Carmen (to which witty allusion is made at one point in the evening);
but there the surface similarities end. The composer was an Armenian,
Dikran Tchouhadjian, son of the sultan's clockmaker, and a part
therefore of the cosmopolitan world of mid-nineteenth-century Istanbul,
protected from the increasing persecution of his compatriots. He
received an excellent musical education in Milan before writing
a series of successful operettas and less successful historical
operas that garnered him the nicknames of the 'Oriental Offenbach'
and 'Armenian Verdi'. His greatest success was with Gariné then
under its original but more prosaic title of The Chickpea Vendor,
which was much performed around Europe for several decades.
What we heard at the Arcola was in important respects different from
the original. This was a semi-staged performance and therefore a great
deal of the original material was cut. Instead of an orchestra we had
a grand piano played with admirable delicacy and panache by Kelvin
Thomson. So it is impossible to comment directly on the composer's
great attributed skills as an orchestrator. A new libretto and
translation was provided by Gerald Papasian, the director and driving
force behind the whole enterprise. He also interpolated narrative
summaries to provide continuity through the much-amended plot.
Musically this work has a great deal of charm though if I had heard it
blind I would have suspected the influence of Rossini and Gilbert and
Sullivan rather than Offenbach and Verdi! Long sequences of choruses
in waltz or quadrille tempo are broken up by arias that showcase the
voices of the principals in music that is testing but not virtuosic
for its own sake. The melodies have a sweetness and folk inflection
to them that indicates an Armenian source, but the accompaniments
generate a bouncy, arpeggiated vigour with occasional harmonic walks
on the wilder side that suggest how attractive and sophisticated an
orchestral backcloth to this music would sound. Otherwise it does
not come over as a specifically orientalist work, at least in its
aural properties: more a highly competent operetta in the mainstream
European house style of the day. Perhaps I am simply registering my
own cultural conditioning but at times The Pirates of Penzance did
not seem far away (and that is certainly not a bad thing).
Dramatically, the story is no better and no worse than many an
implausible set of romantic mishaps from the world of operetta. The
plot revolves around a theatre company whose director, Armen, (Edward
Saklatvala) has just lost his lead singer to a rival company. Gariné
(Danae Eleni) is ideally suited to save the day, but unfortunately her
father Hor Hor, the wealthy chickpea vendor (Leon Berger), is opposed
to her taking the stage. There are many obstacles to be overcome before
both the play and the relationship can go forward, not least in a whole
complicated series of sub-plots that it would be tedious to summarise,
except to say that they provide plenty of set-piece opportunities
for sensual choreography, quick costume-changes, comic pratfalls,
melodramatic threats, and commentary by the chorus of actors and
dancers that provide the heart to the work.
In two respects, however, this is a distinctive and individual
scenario. The question of whether women should perform on the stage
or not was a real controversy in the theatre of the composer's day
which had real consequences for those at the centre of it. There
is an edge to the musical writing and to the text here that rightly
lifts the action out of knockabout comedy. And in addition there is an
interesting debate taking place about the pecking order of theatre -
does value lie with high art or with street theatre that is close
to popular taste, or with both? At the end of the action the street
comedians and jugglers demand equal consideration and ranking in the
Istanbul theatre, alongside the formal troupes. Again this issue was
one that mattered to the players and audiences of the day, and it
has eerie pre-echoes of the debate that takes place in the Prologue
to Strauss and Hofmannsthal's Ariadne auf Naxos. Music and theatre
may be 'holy arts', but aren't we all entitled to some time out?
With so much crammed into what was still a long evening, inevitably
there were compromises and not all of them to the advantage of
the piece. Papasian's narrative interventions, while necessary for
clarity's sake, were over-long and garlanded with too much stage
business that held up the action. Quite a bit of the basic acting,
aside from the bravura concerted items, was wooden and under-rehearsed;
and there were longueurs in the second half as the plot speeded ahead
to its conclusion while the list of musical numbers still had a long
time to run. That said, there were many unimpeachable strengths in
the company and in the production that need to be noted.
Vocally it was very accomplished across the range of principals and
chorus, and all the chorus and ballet numbers, together with the many
moments of elaborate comic business, were neatly choreographed and
sometimes genuinely funny. It was great to see everyone display such
joy and confidence in this rare material.
For me four performances stood out. Eleni's rendition of the title
role was very sympathetic and technically much more secure than
her performance as Musetta last week, with delicate runs, a very
good secure top register and only a hint of pressure on sustained
high notes. She also acted well, moving plausibly from gaucheness to
confidence across the evening. As her partner, Saklatvala sang with
excellent clarity of sound and verbal definition, but was underpowered
in his acting; whereas Leon Berger had a great time playing the
outraged and outrageous patronizing patriarch, Hor Hor. In some ways,
even in this new version, Hor Hor is the central and most interesting
role, combining something of Rigoletto, Osmin and Falstaff in his
persona, and Berger got all these elements across in musical detail
and character acting. A special mention would go to Katie Grosset
in the junior lead soprano role of Shoushan: she delivered her main
aria in the second half with real panache and danced with understated
grace throughout the evening.
The evening was notable for reviving a work of genuine tuneful elegance
and comic potential. The commitment and skill of the production
overall makes you want to see the same company offer a fully staged
run in a larger venue - and soon.
Ian Gillan's fans and people involved in the singer's Armenia-related
projects had come together at Mediamax office.
The guests watched "Pictures of Home" documentary telling about Ian
Gillan's affinity with Armenia and drank a toast to their favourite
singer.
THEATRE REVIEW: GARINE, ARCOLA THEATRE, UK
British Theatre.com
Aug 18 2015
REVIEW: Garine, Arcola Theatre
By Tim Hochstrasser
4 Stars
The annual Grimeborn Opera Festival aims not only to provide a showcase
for contemporary opera and new versions of established repertory,
but also to highlight works once popular and now forgotten.
Gariné is one such work, and a rare bird on any number of counts.
It's a long five-act operetta from the 1870s and thus contemporary with
Carmen (to which witty allusion is made at one point in the evening);
but there the surface similarities end. The composer was an Armenian,
Dikran Tchouhadjian, son of the sultan's clockmaker, and a part
therefore of the cosmopolitan world of mid-nineteenth-century Istanbul,
protected from the increasing persecution of his compatriots. He
received an excellent musical education in Milan before writing
a series of successful operettas and less successful historical
operas that garnered him the nicknames of the 'Oriental Offenbach'
and 'Armenian Verdi'. His greatest success was with Gariné then
under its original but more prosaic title of The Chickpea Vendor,
which was much performed around Europe for several decades.
What we heard at the Arcola was in important respects different from
the original. This was a semi-staged performance and therefore a great
deal of the original material was cut. Instead of an orchestra we had
a grand piano played with admirable delicacy and panache by Kelvin
Thomson. So it is impossible to comment directly on the composer's
great attributed skills as an orchestrator. A new libretto and
translation was provided by Gerald Papasian, the director and driving
force behind the whole enterprise. He also interpolated narrative
summaries to provide continuity through the much-amended plot.
Musically this work has a great deal of charm though if I had heard it
blind I would have suspected the influence of Rossini and Gilbert and
Sullivan rather than Offenbach and Verdi! Long sequences of choruses
in waltz or quadrille tempo are broken up by arias that showcase the
voices of the principals in music that is testing but not virtuosic
for its own sake. The melodies have a sweetness and folk inflection
to them that indicates an Armenian source, but the accompaniments
generate a bouncy, arpeggiated vigour with occasional harmonic walks
on the wilder side that suggest how attractive and sophisticated an
orchestral backcloth to this music would sound. Otherwise it does
not come over as a specifically orientalist work, at least in its
aural properties: more a highly competent operetta in the mainstream
European house style of the day. Perhaps I am simply registering my
own cultural conditioning but at times The Pirates of Penzance did
not seem far away (and that is certainly not a bad thing).
Dramatically, the story is no better and no worse than many an
implausible set of romantic mishaps from the world of operetta. The
plot revolves around a theatre company whose director, Armen, (Edward
Saklatvala) has just lost his lead singer to a rival company. Gariné
(Danae Eleni) is ideally suited to save the day, but unfortunately her
father Hor Hor, the wealthy chickpea vendor (Leon Berger), is opposed
to her taking the stage. There are many obstacles to be overcome before
both the play and the relationship can go forward, not least in a whole
complicated series of sub-plots that it would be tedious to summarise,
except to say that they provide plenty of set-piece opportunities
for sensual choreography, quick costume-changes, comic pratfalls,
melodramatic threats, and commentary by the chorus of actors and
dancers that provide the heart to the work.
In two respects, however, this is a distinctive and individual
scenario. The question of whether women should perform on the stage
or not was a real controversy in the theatre of the composer's day
which had real consequences for those at the centre of it. There
is an edge to the musical writing and to the text here that rightly
lifts the action out of knockabout comedy. And in addition there is an
interesting debate taking place about the pecking order of theatre -
does value lie with high art or with street theatre that is close
to popular taste, or with both? At the end of the action the street
comedians and jugglers demand equal consideration and ranking in the
Istanbul theatre, alongside the formal troupes. Again this issue was
one that mattered to the players and audiences of the day, and it
has eerie pre-echoes of the debate that takes place in the Prologue
to Strauss and Hofmannsthal's Ariadne auf Naxos. Music and theatre
may be 'holy arts', but aren't we all entitled to some time out?
With so much crammed into what was still a long evening, inevitably
there were compromises and not all of them to the advantage of
the piece. Papasian's narrative interventions, while necessary for
clarity's sake, were over-long and garlanded with too much stage
business that held up the action. Quite a bit of the basic acting,
aside from the bravura concerted items, was wooden and under-rehearsed;
and there were longueurs in the second half as the plot speeded ahead
to its conclusion while the list of musical numbers still had a long
time to run. That said, there were many unimpeachable strengths in
the company and in the production that need to be noted.
Vocally it was very accomplished across the range of principals and
chorus, and all the chorus and ballet numbers, together with the many
moments of elaborate comic business, were neatly choreographed and
sometimes genuinely funny. It was great to see everyone display such
joy and confidence in this rare material.
For me four performances stood out. Eleni's rendition of the title
role was very sympathetic and technically much more secure than
her performance as Musetta last week, with delicate runs, a very
good secure top register and only a hint of pressure on sustained
high notes. She also acted well, moving plausibly from gaucheness to
confidence across the evening. As her partner, Saklatvala sang with
excellent clarity of sound and verbal definition, but was underpowered
in his acting; whereas Leon Berger had a great time playing the
outraged and outrageous patronizing patriarch, Hor Hor. In some ways,
even in this new version, Hor Hor is the central and most interesting
role, combining something of Rigoletto, Osmin and Falstaff in his
persona, and Berger got all these elements across in musical detail
and character acting. A special mention would go to Katie Grosset
in the junior lead soprano role of Shoushan: she delivered her main
aria in the second half with real panache and danced with understated
grace throughout the evening.
The evening was notable for reviving a work of genuine tuneful elegance
and comic potential. The commitment and skill of the production
overall makes you want to see the same company offer a fully staged
run in a larger venue - and soon.
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