I Didn't Know What I Was Signing: Consider My Signature Withdrawn – Tigran Mansuryan

Composer Tigran Mansuryan spoke with Hraparak.am. The interview is partially presented below.

“The Governing Council and the acting staff of the 'Goy' Theater have approached Nikol Pashinyan with a proposal to maintain 'Goy' as a private theater. In this context, a petition was also circulated among cultural figures, and you signed it as well. Are you against the plan to merge 'Goy' with the Stanislavski Dramatic Theater?”

“I didn’t know what paper I was signing. I was receiving calls from a young person asking for a meeting. When I had the opportunity, after a concert at the Aram Khachatryan Concert Hall, I was approached by actor Samvel Topalyan, who said he was from the 'Goy' Theater. He presented his request with joy and bright lines. I saw that what he was asking wasn’t particularly demanding. He presented several pages of a detailed document, which I didn’t want to read. Trusting the young man, I signed it. Later, it became clear that there were numerous legal, organizational, and other issues that I was not only unaware of but also don’t understand. Honestly, I don’t even want to get involved in all that. My request is that my signature made under the influence of circumstances not be leveraged or be considered withdrawn.”

“What did Samvel Topalyan say when he asked you to sign that paper?”

“He said it was regarding the 'Goy' Theater, and they are asking for the theater to operate and that the funder be changed.”

“But it is really a matter of the 'Goy' Theater—authorities have made decisions regarding the unification and closing of theaters in the context of optimization. The actors of the 'Goy' Theater and a large number of intellectuals are against this theater facing such a fate. Why are you retracting your signature?”

“I neither understand nor know what the purpose of the optimization is, who is responsible for it. Lately, I have not been voicing my opinions because good things do not come out of it. I immediately find myself at the center of attacks and accusations from people I would rather not be associated with. Thus, it turns out that I am subjected to assaults and accusations. I am 85 years old, and I am not at the center of anything. I just listen to what my television tells me and that is enough for me.”

“Which channel are you listening to, which political figure do you support?”

“I don't watch channels, but I sympathize with Hovhannes Khurshudyan.”

“Maestro, you said you don’t know what they intend to do under the name of optimization; are you not aware of what is happening around the Conservatory?”

“I am aware, but I did not participate in it, which has upset some people. I avoid placing my signature under anything because I receive responses very quickly from somewhere.”

“So you are trying to avoid being criticized? Who gives you responses, who criticizes you?”

“Not only do they criticize, but they also insult, slander, and say whatever they want. I have realized that I should not get involved.”

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