Prime Minister and His Wife Hosted World-renowned Conductor Pehlivanian, Russian Artist Isahakyan, and Philharmonic Director Manasyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, together with his wife, Anna Hakobyan, hosted world-renowned conductor George Pehlivanian, prominent director and Russian artist Georgy Isahakyan, and the Director of the Armenian State Philharmonic, Gagik Manasyan.

During the meeting, they discussed the preparatory and organizational issues for staging Adolf Hasse’s opera 'Tigran the Great', initiated by the Armenian State Philharmonic and the 'Current' educational-cultural NGO. Gagik Manasyan mentioned how he accidentally discovered Hasse’s 'Tigran the Great' opera in German archives, which, written in the 1700s, has never been staged.

“There are around 40 known operas dedicated to King Tigran the Great in the musical world. While this is delightful, it is also shameful as none have been staged in the homeland of Tigran the Great,” Manasyan stated, adding that the staging of Hasse's opera would be considered an important initiative and a significant musical event not only in Armenia but also in the international arena.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the idea of staging the opera, stating, “I believe there should be operas about all our kings because every idea related to kings is an idea of the state, as they are symbols of statehood. Unfortunately, I observe that we do not have streets named after all our kings, and it is not necessary for them to only be named after them in Yerevan.”

George Pehlivanian emphasized the goal of staging all operas related to Tigran the Great in the future. He highlighted that the staging of 'Tigran the Great' also has serious musical motivations. The main reason is that the operas are written in the 'Baroque' musical style, which is the most prominent in today's European contemporary musical world and possesses specific laws and unique musical instruments. These challenges create additional difficulties for the staging of the opera.

According to Gevorg Isahakyan, efforts are currently being made collaboratively to overcome these challenges for the promotion of baroque music in Armenia. Negotiations are underway to acquire baroque musical instruments and retrain corresponding musicians.

Gagik Manasyan emphasized the plan to create a permanent 'Baroque Orchestra' within the Armenian State Philharmonic to foster a favorable environment for the propagation of this music. Anna Hakobyan presented the mission of the 'Friends of Armenian Classical Music' group within the 'My Step' foundation, stressing that the foundation would also offer support for the staging of 'Tigran the Great' opera. “Taking this opportunity, allow me to express my gratitude for your initiative regarding classical music. It truly is a significant contribution, and I must thank you,” Manasyan stated.

The meeting also discussed the organizational matters of the opera's staging. According to preliminary arrangements, the opera is set to be staged in the autumn of 2020.