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HOLY LAND
MAY I SET MY EYES ON ANI AND THEN…

        Here I feel proud, free, noble, I live a flight of thoughts, there is no pressure on my shoulders... I am at my paternal home for ages, for ages at my paternal home: it seems that I have always been here, have grown here and that I am going to be here next to this eternal beauty forever...
                                                                                               Avetik Isahakyan

       There are things which however entirely we tend to talk about, it would be beyond our strength... They are the ruins of Ani – the ancient Armenian capital, one of the real wonders of the world ...
                                                                                               Konstantin Paustovski

My interlocutor is the director of the Institute of History of Armenian Science National Academy – Ashot Melkonyan who agreed to share with us the impressions , ideas and thoughts that had come to him during his pilgrimage to “Ergir”. So was telling his story Ashot Melkonyan and it aroused the sensations of sometimes nostalgia and sometimes those of regret and fury... The reality of losing one’s land must bring about the strong consideration of each Armenian, each of us must think over and realize the cause why this happened, why exactly with us. Are we to blame and is there a guarantee that we won’t suffer a similar destiny in the future? These very thoughts led us – a group of intelligentsia – to “ Ergir ”. We traversed Javakhq ashkhar and crossing the Georgian-Turkish border, we could step onto the land of our ancestors. We are on the coast of Lake Chldr which was previously called Tsovak and is situated in the north-east of the Armenian highlands. “ It is like a tear crystal dropped from the sky.” Along the eastern coast of this very lake we made our way to Ani. The observation of the ruins of Ani disclosed for the scientific world a medieval city which amazed people with its culture and glorious past. Everyone starting from Mar, Toramanyan, Leo have been delighted with Ani – a city which has been our historical capital since 961AD. It’s a city which with its historical-cultural image has its special place not only in Armenian but also in the world medieval town-planning art. Ani was called a city of a thousand and one churches as in this city with a population of a hundred thousand, there were at least 257 acting churches. Many of the medieval most splendid cloistral complexes surround the Akhuryan valley which makes a part of Shirak – one of the largest Armenian regions. Here, like in many other places, these very complexes have been the preservers of Armenian culture. Unfortunately, the majority of them are on the same bank of Ani, hence, “the natural decay ” on the one hand, and the deliberate efforts to make the Armenian past vanish into the air on the other hand, haven’t left much here. The outstanding Armenian capital of Bagratids, which is only 55km away from Gyumri, belonged to Kars Vilayet and is situated on the triangular headland 1500 meters above the sea level. It occupied a territory of 150 hectare. The whole city was surrounded by huge walls which used to have forty doors, each with its name. From the north the city was protected by a two-layer wall built by Smbat Bagratuni in 989 AD. From the east the city was separated by Gayladzor, from the south by Akhuryan Valley, from the south-west by Ani River, Tsakhkotsadzor and Igadzor. All these made Ani impregnable. One must see Ani from both sides as the kingdom occupied both the east and the west of the city. From the side of the Republic of Armenia , where the bank is higher, a grand panorama opens but it’s from the other bank of the river that one must go to see what has been left from its short (hardly a century and a half) and glorious past. Due to its architectural style, Ani Cathedral ( built by architect Trdat ) is dhe most famous. Along with beautiful sculptures, external ornaments it has also had a peculiarity which later came to be known as “gothic style” in the world of architecture. ...We are walking amid the ruins and feel surprised that today at least 20 of a thousand and one churches are still half-standing... Here is church Prkich which was twice exploded in 1954 and 1956, and only half of it has survived. Here is Tigran Honetsi church, sticking to the canyon edge, the gavit of which has been destroyed and its frescos are facing the open sky. Here is Abughamrets St. Grigor church and Araqelots church, in the southern edge of the city is Aghjka Berd (Girl`s Fortress), St. Grigor church and Paroni (Mr`s) Palace… All of us know about the luxury of Khtskong (in Turkish “Peshqilise”, i.e. “Five churches”) too. Only half part of one of them has been preserved. As to Grigor Lusavorich Zvartnots-like temple or Gagkashen church, only the bases of these have been preserved. Kusanats (Maids`) Church is built immediately on the bank of the river, just by the border. Here it is prohibited to take photos, however, we managed to escape the notice of the askyars (Turkish soldiers) and take several photos. There is not much left from Hovvi (Shepherd`s) church either – one of the most gripping monuments of Ani, situated outside its walls. According to legend, the church was built by a shepherd who was not able to enter one of the churches of Ani at Easter as it was crowded. This three-storey beautiful chapel is a marvellous work of art. It is a star-like building, inside which, from the walls of the first floor, six pillars rise. The arches leaning on them come together at the centre of the ceiling where there should have been a pillar to carry the central arches and their heaviness. But this pillar is missing. The arches are held by each other. In the place of the pillar there had been a nice lamp. Toros Toramanyan considered the church “the masterpiece of Armenian medieval architecture”. The well-known moving bridge of Ani has also been destroyed, only parts of bathrooms and separate civil buildings have been preserved. Nearly nothing has been preserved from Ashotashen walls, which have been discovered by Mar and Toramanyan still long ago. On the southern part of Ani, on a huge rock the acropolis of the city is situated. From eastern side the rock almost vertically goes into Akhuryan canyon. The whole rock-top is covered with the remains of the ruins. One suffers huge pain not being able to echo the “entre-aties of help” of the pearls of architecture of one`s land and nation...

                            History is still distorted here

       However strange it may seem, the signboards hanging on the walls of the churches in Ani almost precisely reflect the historical events. Why almost? – I shall explain. Everything seems to be in its place, but the most essential word - “ermeni” - is missing. Signboards evidence the facts of Ani being Armenian and a capital, but as to which country it had belonged, it is unclear. Anyway, the Turks have made a mistake: at the entrance of the city, on the walls of Smbatashen, there is a signboard, stating: “As the capital Ani is situated by the boarder of neighbouring Armenia, taking photos is prohibited”. If a tourist has a little logics, he will understand that the capital certainly should not have been the capital of Ottoman Empire, it had been located by the neighbourhood of a country situated immediately on the other side of the river which is the Republic of Armenia. I asked one of the Czech tourists the capital of which country Ani could have been to his mind. After thinking a little, he answered - of Armenia, as it is Armenia that is on the other side of the river. Mesrop Ashchyan who had the luck to be in Ani, still three decades ago was telling: “In 1977 when we visited Ani, the Turkish guide was telling the French tourists the history of Ani without mentioning the word “Armenian”, passing from Byzantine times to Ottoman period. When I called her attention to the fact that Ani had been in the power of Kostandnupole for only 19 years from 1045 to 1064 when the Turk seljouks had occupied it from Byzantium, the guide confessed sincerely that she was not aware of it”. That is how they teach history in Turkey. Certainly, the slow progress can be seen: to step the doors of Europe Ankara at least has to take some formal steps but there is still much to be done.

                                                        Ani today

       Today only the ruins of castles, churches and walls surrounding the city have remained from the rich city. UNESCO provided several million dollars for Ani to be fenced as it has become just a pasture for the cattle. Every time I was there, I always noticed the cattle moving in and out the central entrance and grazing calmly. Ojakhl – the nearest Kurdish village, is entirely built of the stones brought from Ani. Recently, it seems they have started to carry on insignificant repair activities. The walls of Smbatashen have more or less been repaired disgracefully. The spirit of seljouks reigns there with colourful irrelevant mosaic illustrations, not typical to Armenian architecture. According to some information, the Turks have the intention to repair the cathedral as well. Of course, we guess that they want to develop the economy of the regions where it is less developed, particularly that of the eastern part by attracting tourists there, however, we are sure that it is not possible to do it without Armenian specialists as the architecture has its secrets which are impossible to master without studying the historical sources. They came to be convinced of that at least as it was the case with Akhtamar. Drawn in a frenzy of earning money “at the expense” of our monuments and certainly by the sense of return of the Armenians to fatherland, they try to solve the problem from the just opposite point of view. According to them, the Armenian tourist being in his historical native land and seeing Kurdistan and Turkey in the land dreamt by him, has to put up psychologically with the bitter reality. However, I think that in this issue they are mistaken as well. The hour of compensation will definitely come...

                                                                                            (to be continued)

The editorial staff expresses its deep gratitude to the director of the Institute of History of Armenian Science National Academy – Ashot Melkonyan.

                                                                                                             ANUSH BULGHADARYAN

WHEN MANNER
ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE

        Speech isn't primary at all for the manifestation of art: sometimes a meaningful, plastic movement can be more eloquent than speech is. Such is the mime show - an original way of thinking, which joins and identifies both word and movement. And for the purpose of discovering this way of thinking as deep as possible, we are talking to Jirayr Dadasyan, the art manager of the Pantomime State Theatre.

       - Why mime?
       - I should say that I was engaged in pantomime at a very small age: it just turned out so. Very accidentally my friends took me to a studio, more correctly, it was Arthur Bakhtamyan. In the house of "Lusashkh", which was situated on the corner of Pushkin street, there was a mime studio, which was directed by Levon Ivanyan. I was only in the 9th form then. I got acquainted with the mime show and immediately something surprising and unintelligible happened to me. I decided at once that I must occupy myself just with that job, because at that time I hadn't precised yet what I would do in the future. Parallel with that, I had children's programs on the radio, that is to say, I had worked a lot on my voice as a means of expression. Years later, when I was a student, I was parallelly engaged in both mime and radio programs. After graduating, I began to work as a producer in children's editorial office of radio. I remember that then I was talked about in such a way: "When he appears, he doesn't speak, when he speaks, he doesn't appear". In fact, I liked radio as well, that is - voice, the work with voce. What concerns mime show, it's another story, because it's a separate world, world of theatre, and carries something excessively mystic and magic in itself. There were even moments that I tried to cut off from that world, but nothing came out of it: irrespective of my will, my legs continued to bring me back to that world. Today it's already 10 years that I have been ruling that theatre.
       - Are there principles put in the basis of your theatre?
       - We are trying to secure stake, necessary for our theatre, considering, of course, today's achievements and level of the international pantomime. And not only of pantomime, but of theatre and moving art in general as well. And we try to keep that stake high. I should say that last year, for example, was very prolific for us. Though many people may not know about it: nothing was published at all. We have turned to no one to write about our activities. If we watch it with today's standards, maybe it's a wrong point of view, but on the other hand, you can't allow yourself to advertise what you are doing. We can, of course, advertise the activity of the theatre, but the apprehension of today's spectator has a little different system. Especially when you see what types of measurements there are. It concerns culture in general. We always speak, complain about how well we are accepted abroad, but aren't accepted here. I think, that kind of approach is wrong. Maybe it's true that we are accepted abroad at best. Last year, for example, we played in Rome in Italy. It was a brilliant performance. There was such a reception that our embassy was simply proud of the fact that we have such a theatre in Yerevan. I state the words of the ambassador who approached and thanked us. The Italians were very impressed as well. It's clear that great part of our spectators are foreigners. We don't have any problems with them. But we can't allow ourselves to say that foreigners accept us very well, while you treat us very badly here: either you don't give us a building or something like that. It's not just. I think, there are some problems and they must be solved. And we mustn't pick on the spectator. It's not important and substantial to mention the fact, that if you are well-accepted abroad, then you are a good one. It's not so absolutely. Fist of all, it's my opinion and conviction, one should be a good one in one's own country. I've always played with greater pleasure in front of our spectator, even if very little in number (as we have very few spectators). First, genre is such, second, there aren't many amateurs of the art of pantomime, maybe because it's not propagandized a lot. Though I think, that it's a very beautiful art, and that it's necessary for each person to watch it at least once, to be a participant of it, to come into contact with that art. In my opinion, we should rather think of ourselves than of the treatment towards us. And that is why I am mostly inclined to the development of what we have, we should try to polish it, work out, make more crystallized, we should strive for the achievement of perfection. So, we are mainly engaged in ourselves, as it is a very important problem. I have nothing to tell about myself, as I deal with this activity. As far as I know the history, it's always that way in the world. In each country, at every period of time, there always appear some people, even small in number, like 10-15 people, who are responsible for this art at that period. And it's the responsibility problem of this art that we carry on our shoulders in such difficult conditions for us.
       - By the way, what pieces have you presented in Rome?
       - In Rome we played "The Devil", which, by the assertion of embassy employees and the consul, was renamed as "Spiritella", that is - "Darling". We put it on the stage last year, it's Yuri Kostanyan's performance in the fantastic comedy genre. It's very impressive, interesting and really Armenian, in its psychology. It's abstract, and at the same time, very recognizable and concrete. It's an interesting story about a human-being, based on stories of bride and bridegroom, mother-in-law and others. The Italians were very much impressed. Some producers even approached, made suggestions, though there wasn't anything concrete. According to their impression: "What does a theatre of European level do in Armenia?" It was, of course, very pleasant to hear such thoughts, but my demand from the actors is all the same, they should continue to work hard on themselves.
       - Which is the peculiarity of a mime actor?
       - You know, mime show is an original art. Try to imagine such a situation: an actor comes out of a dramatic theatre, from a spoken theatre. He goes to another theatre, he is being accepted, and the next day he is given a role, after a month he is already on the stage. There is no other problem. In our case everything is different: everyday training, everyday exercise with the body. An actor needs to have worked on his body for at least 2-3 years, in order to be fit for the stage. I've noticed an interesting regularity. From 7 to 10 years are necessary for an actor to become open in a certain performance. Or rather, not open but bright. One can become open much earlier, but bright - only after working for so many years. We have had such events at us. In one of the latest performances, for example, a certain actor shines, who has worked for 10 years normally, at a high level, but has never shined. Another one shines in another performance after working for 8 years. That means, that time is necessary for an actor to comprehend completely where, in what art he is. This is a very original art. What is done on the stage isn't given so easily.
       -Who can become an actor of a mime theatre?
       -A modest person. One who has a problem with himself, and not with someone from the outer world: with the producer, the minister of culture or, I don't know what leaders of a party. One who has a quarrel with himself and wants to solve that problem, can become an actor of a mime theatre.
       -What does mime show give to the spectator?
       -The energy of our performances carries an idea as well, which gives a person a chance to discover himself in some new way, somewhere, in some work. That is, in all that there is a sense of seeing himself, discovering himself, recognizing. In other words, the performance becomes a motivating power, a stimulus for the person to live that day well, as well as the next day, and the day after that. And if the performance is a success, that emotional state may last for a whole month. It's a kind of concentrate, which goes into himself and is opened there. Often he doesn't even know why he is in such a good mood: he remembers the images having been stamped in himself and they help him. And that is the problem of art in general. Art is not for propaganda, as it has become today. It's a field telling about a human-being, helping him, which allows the creator to study the inner world of a human-being, and the spectator - to see it in the same way, discover for him that investigations. That is the theatre: non-educative, non-Armenian preserving … However, theatre has got that function as well, and can’t not to have them, but they are not primary. Primary is what I say. While, unfortunately, we see very often, that second one has become primary, and the primary one has disappeared completely, vanished, doesn't exist. It means that a person is busy not with his profession, with everything but not theatre. That is the reason why we often register so many performances of bad quality in our theatres. Because that main, aesthetic, chief feature isn't preserved, actors keep on stumbling, come out of that line. Then, the spectator can be very different: for example, the Chinese spectator. Last year we were in China as well, played in Pekin and Shenyan. It was a very strange and unforeseen spectator for us. We didn't feel the spectator during the performance, their coldness or warmth, but suddenly, with lightning speed, the stormy reaction shook all the hall. With the Italian spectators there are ovations, if they like the performance. We weren't allowed to come out for about 10 minutes, they were going on applauding. What kind of spectator is ours? Frankly speaking, if there is an ovation, I am always a little afraid of it. Something seems to me to be wrong. And when there are restrained applauses, I think that the spectator has started to work in himself, has begun to think about something, and he needs to come out of the hall soon, in order to share his impressions. That is, it is not a big act for him to applaud. It's more important for him to discuss that question inside himself afterwards, outside the hall.
       - Who is your spectator?
       - In my opinion, spectator of a mime theatre is one who, first of all, has got a desire to watch something beautiful. But he has got a problem as well, which is more important, a problem of self-consciousness. They are mostly young people, students: maybe thay like what we do. And they are foreigners from different missions working in Yerevan. There are almost always foreigners at our performances. By the way, our today's children are very good ones, and they have got serious problems. They aren't being shown anything having a relation to beauty, aren't presented with anything, and these children have been in a difficult situation. They are given Bach to listen to, and they are surprised. They say, "What is this? Is there such kind of music?" He has never heard about it. And he starts to like Bach. He hasn't been told about Bach, hasn't been told to pay attention to these or those parts. The musical theme not only hasn't been presented in a right way, but hasn't been presented at all. These children have a kind of inner hunger and they are directed as if by an instinct. The child has instinctively come and appeared in this theatre, has liked it and continues to come. He comes to fill that empty space anyhow. I'll say more. There was a worker, a welder. This boy had his seat in our old theatre. I even ordered not to sell tickets to him, but to give invitation-cards always, because he didn't miss any performance, even current ones. That is, he had watched the same performance for 30-40 times, but he was always coming. He bought his ticket and always sat in the same place, in his place. Then we got acquainted. He was married and had 2 children, but he always came, and came alone. So, there was an interesting link, connecting him to that theatre.
       - Does mime theatre have any traditions?
       - We are busy with a serious job now as well. My first staging is called "Sheranik", I performed it in 2005. It's a performance based on medieval miniature painting or more concrete, the theme is taken from the Gospel of Haghpat, from the pages of Lord's Prayers, from miniature paintings, and the hero is taken from there. Sheranik is painted just in that gospel, and it's written above: "Sheranik, whenever you come, bring fish!". All the other heroes are also from that gospel. And as the book has been written in Haghpat, but illustrated in Ani, by an illustrator Margare, the gospel mostly belongs to the school of Ani. So we mainly tried to restore that gospel of Ani, and especially the period, when the gospel has been written. That is, by breaking the time a little (only 20 years), the Mongolian invasion, and the fall of Ani by the Mongols. If we count more exactly - the second fall, when it was taken away from the Dzakaryans. In short, we have tried to present that period in a little unusual, moving way of art. Why am I telling about it in details? Because today we are trying to touch upon the Armenian classical "pantomime" more seriously, about which we have very distant allusions: some pieces and crumbs, being met in our literature, miniature painting and scientific researches, which, of course, don't give a complete idea of it. Moreover, it's impossible to know how they moved. And I began to investigate it in a little deeper way, considering all the other cultural types of that sphere and their regulations, such as, architecture, music, literature, poetry, painting, miniature painting and literature miniature painting, and I tried to find a regularity in that chain, and to give a solution to the performance “Sheranik” in that regularity. It seems to me that there already can be seen some preconditions in our project. Now I've started the second performance in the same theme: on the basis of a well known and luxurious “Book of Flowers” written by Derenik Demir-chyan. The performance will be called just that way, though we'll distract a little from the plot. In any case, it will be the story of a child-hero of the book of parchment and the novelette. And we'll again continue the practical study of the Armenian traditional type of pantomime. There are many mime theatres in the world and they are different. But we know that there exist such theatres which are peculiar just to that people and are strictly national in their type. For example, original and specific Japanese theatre, or the Indian pantomime “Katkhkali”, or the Chinese ballet “Kkhmerakan”. And I've set a task for me to try to find a kind of mime, which will be possible to differentiate without a mistake, and say that it's an Armenian pantomime. I mean, not from the point of view of the topic, but of manner. The topic can be taken even from Shakespeare, or from other famous writers. What is primary, is when manner becomes a language. Suppose, when you listen to Aram Khachatryan, you understand that his work is Armenian, as if the music has been written in Armenian. Or suppose, you look at the paintings of Arshil Gorky and see that their colours and lines are especially very Armenian. The same Armenian features can be seen in the miniature paintings of Vaspurakan, that is, you see the Armenian connection, continuation. I don't express bookish, artistic thoughts. I've really seen and felt that connection. In exactly this context, when language is just the manner, not the pure language, we may find, revive or in some measure create such a manner, which will be easy to differentiate without a mistake and call an Armenian language of mime. They are the ways of movement, gestures, national games, being used very often, which are still preserved in some grains. Why refuse from the traditions that we have had? And if we've had them, there is no doubt, that there simply don’t exist preserved examples of full value.
       I'll tell you something interesting: 2 years ago, in Ruminia, during the festival “Sibiu”, we performed “Sheranik”. After the performance, during the press conference, I was asked: “Can we consider this as your Armenian national theatre, as it is with Japanese or Indian national theatres? “When I say that there exist the first preconditions, I mean that even foreigners, especially specialists dealing with theatre, have already noticed the peculiarities of the Armenian theatre. That is to say, it's already noticeable that the investigation goes in that direction. Maybe it isn't formed completely, but it's a fact that it does go in that direction. Again referring to “Sheranik”, I would also like to say that the performance was shown under the works of a modern remarkable compo-ser Vache Sharafyan, who is perhaps more famous abroad than in his homeland, and which works are being performed by Yo Yo Man and other famous musicians. That glorious and very modest boy lives in Yerevan, and this performance, I think, is a wonderful opportunity to propagandize his music as well. While putting the “Book of Flowers” on the stage, we'll most probably cooperate with Vahan Artsruni as well. Songs of his Komitas row will be used, and he himself will compose the music. By the way, we'll use modern accessories in the performance as well: projectors, cameras ans so on. Such things are very common today, are mostly used abroad, though sometimes, out of place. But what we have decided to do, will be appropriate and will have a strong effect.
       - Is there a conception as “Arme-nian mime school?”
       - I'll tell you an interesting thing. Lyonya Yengibaryan always told that he belonged to the Armenian mime school, without realizing what it is. Of course he knew, had read the books by Goyan, many books about early medieval and medieval Armenian theatre, but all that is more likely to be a fairy-tale, than to cantain a serious scientific deduction. That fairy-tale had influenced on Lyonya to such a degree, that he had genetically felt that connection. It proves once more that , that type of a national theatre has really existed, and Lyonya was the direct inheritor of it on a subconscious level. That is the reason why he differed from European artists so strictly: from Marso and others. In 1960-ies, a collective mime was formed in Yerevan and in 1974 this theatre was founded (it received a public status in 1983), which is already 35 years old.
       - Who are the teachers of that school?
       - I'll say straightforwardly: teachers of mime theatre aren't many in number. The first theatrical group was undertaken by respectful memory Henrik Poghosyan, who died several years ago. After him Arsen Poladov began to work very actively in that direction. Unfortunately he also died several years ago in Yaroslav. It was during his times that public theatre was formed and acquired a public status. But the theatre suffered much concussion especially after 1988. It was to such a degree that there was a need to change the manager, and in 1993 Yuri Kostanyan became the artistic manager of the theatre, a wonderful producer, remarkable mimer and actor. Since 1998, with Yura's will, I have become the artistic manager of the theatre. He did everything for me to come to the theatre, and he himself remained in the theatre, and still continues to work there. By the way, this is a very rare behaviour, that the art manager passes the theatre to another one with his own hands: there haven't been such an incident in the history of the Armenian theatre. It's an abnormal event, but also a very good example, because tomorrow will be in the same way. I also want to see the young man, who will be able to rejuvenate the theatre with his new aesthetics.
       - Is there already anyone noticeable?
       - Not yet, but we have a wonderful boy in Paris, one of our theatre actors, who studied at Marso, finished, founded a theatre there with the help of Marso, and does remarkable works. His company of actors was declared the best in Paris last year. I am in great hopes of being able to persuade him to come here. Last year I was in Paris and tried to persuade him to think about returning Armenia if not now, then at least after several years. I don't know for sure how much it is possible, but it's a fact that there must by all means be a new blood. I'll tell a secret to you. Theatre is such an organism that has a 25-30 years life, not more. I have even said a little more. One mustn't rule a theatre for more than 20-25 years. It's the aesthetics of a certain person and of that period. He is pushed out of it, on the other side of it. For example, for me it's nonsense to see a 70 years’ old manager of a theatre. Of course, he may formally be the manager, but the stimulating power must be another one, there must be new aesthetics.
       - Mime is a complex, original art, and in some sense, presuming a small hall of spectators. However, are there steps being carried out to popularize it?
       - In general, if we look back at history, in the old Rome “mime” genre had been a public, formal, theatrical genre and had been popular. The art of pantomime allows itself to be popular as well. It can be similar to today's mass events in the open air, for example, to the opening event of the Olympiads. Finally, it's also a mime show. People draw some images, birds or something else in the sports square. And they perform mime. We also had an attempt of mass pantomime in the square during the concert of “Gazprom”. It is said to have been a success, interesting. But in fact, we're engaged in dramatic pantomime, which is a theatrical genre and demands a chamber form. In our case, there is no need of big halls.
       - What do you think, does mime have relation with mute cinema?
       - Doubtless. Mute cinema has in general been created owing to pantomime. And all the boys of the mute cinema are mimers, actors having come out of a musical. Both Chaplin, Bester Quittone, Lloyd, Max Linder and the others. In other words, the best representatives of mute cinema have come from pantomime. Have you heard the famous words of Chaplin? “I hate speaking films, as they kill the most beautiful art in the world, the art of pantomime”.
       - How many pieces does the theatre stage today? And how often is your repertoire being refreshed?
       - Beginning from 2005, yearly at least 1 new performance completes the repertoire. There are 10 performances in it, but today we are really able to play only 5-6 performances, because we aren't able to secure the technical part necessary for the staging: the decors. There is also a problem with the natural loss of the actors. One of our actresses married a Frenchman in autumn and left for France. It's a serious problem for us to find an understudy for her. It means that we must bring the new actresses to such s degree, that they are able to play in 3-4 performances in her place. In any case, 4 performances a month, that is, we show 1 performance a week.
       - What main problems does the theatre have?
       - It's the main problem of our territory, which is a very troubling question. It's already 25 years that our theatre is public, but as we know, a public theatre must as a rule have a building of its own. It's the first precondition. If the republic wants to create something, first it must create conditions for it, it isn't only by giving salaries. Now we pay the “Theatre of Young Spectators”, in order to have a rehearsal hall, and at least to play on the stage for several times. During the last 2 years, it's the republic that pays the money for the place, before, we were paying it, or our friends helped. In any case, let's agree that it's am absurd situation. We are a little reassured by the fact that the Minister of Culture is actively engaged in this question. You know what, today, when you look around and see what's happening, it seems an absurdity to think that it will be possible to give a territory in the centre of the city (as this theatre can't be situated in another place), and together with it, to build a building and give it to a certain theatre. What is a theatre in general? There exists this way of thinking. Of course, it's very difficult. Of course, we must understand. Maybe there must be built something much more important there, than a theatre is. I agree, let them do that as well. But they should also try to find some ways. Now it seems as if we have found a way, we walk step by step and we've already reached the level of signing a contract. There is a company, that has committed itself to make a mime theatre building.
       Taking the chance, I'd like to call our nation, especially statesmen and businessmen, to visit the mime theatre at least once. Why? I think, they'll realize themselves after having joined this wonderful art …

                                                                                                            Interview by GAYANE HOVANYAN


HAVING THE RIGHT OF UPPER VOICE

        The Armenian diaspora in Bucharest was preparing to migrate to motherland for the first time. That day a delegation had arrived in Bucharest from Yerevan to arrange the migration. The local Armenian community had organized for them a little party during which Varduhi was supposed to read the poem “Motherland and Love”by Hovhannes Shiraz. On the same day the list of the names of those who was going to leave for the motherland was supposed to be stuck on the wall of the club named after Shahumyan, and, what a surprise, the name of Varduhi was missing in the list. “I read for several times, but in vain, and it seemed to me that leaving for motherland would just remain a dream for me. The moment came; I got on the stage very excitedly and recited my poem. I don’t know how well I recited it so that I could attract the attention of one of the delegates. He asked who the girl was and why she was so excited. They responded him that she was really very excited as she wanted to leave for motherland and become an actress there. And, to my surprise, my name was added in the list and I appeared among those leaving for the motherland. That day became fatal for me…” The life of the actress was interesting and full of events in the motherland. She launched her first steps on the stage in State Drama Theatre of Gyumri.

       - Mrs. Varduhi, do you often perform in Gyumri Theatre now as well?
       - Yes, because I like the audience in Gyumri very much and I want to show my gratitude. As in our country an actor cannot become a man of property and cannot provide financial aid, so I decided to act in a performance with the actors of Gyumri Theatre.
       - And can we say that the feeling of nostalgia often calls you to Gyumri?
       - Certainly, because as an actress I was born in the city of masters and the citizen of Gyumri has made me an actress.
       - Has your husband Gevorg Abajyan ever criticized you?
       - No, of course, not. Being a husband of an actress, he gave me such spiritual strength that I could always feel peaceful, could create and integrate the stage and the family.
       - And does the Armenian theatre have the potential force to keep the art of Armenian theatre proud?
       - Of course, it does, but we had a great barrier. The dark and gloomy years of the 1990-ies left their traceand the young people who then were launching their first steps on the stage, didn’t get mature. Recently the theatre is being reestablished and today the youth has placed a serious bid. However, we face a different problem: the state should pay attention to theatre; the head of the country should love theatre. The former officials attended the theatre not only on the first nights but also on the final performances. Weren’t those people busy? You see, today sport is in the centre of attention, the president himself cuts the ribbon. I am not against, but we must understand that culture is the preserver of this nation, not sport. Of course, culture doesn’t raise a flag in a foreign country but it raises the spirit of the nation.
       - Are there any phenomena that make you very angry?
       - There are and many. Today anyone can get on the stage who wants to, anyone can sing who wants to, anyone can write who wants to. There is no control. The Ministry of Culture should have a group of artists who will keep in the center of attention all those coming into art and spoiling the taste of the people. Today everyone considers himself a star. I am not against the stars but if they are stars then who was Gohar Gasparyan - maybe the moon? You know, today we lack a ready audience. The aesthetic taste of a person should be developed still at school.
       - What did Varduhi Varderesyan - an actress of the Soviet Union - have that Varduhi Varderesyan - an actress of independent Armenia - doesn’t have?
       - I don’t want to seem immodest but I have always had and enjoyed the love of people. It has always given me strength to live, to create and survive. I am old enough already and I don’t want something new: neither elite buildings, nor an apartment abroad, nor money in a Swiss bank, but I want the nation, who I have served, to live better.
       - What is your attitude to the theatre festivals held in Armenia?
       - Now what I am going to say may seem strange but I have always expressed my thoughts very freely and I have never been ashamed even during the Soviet years. The organization of such festivals is very good but they are good for those countries where the people live in an appropriate way. Millions of dollars are wasted on those festivals; can’t we spend all this money on something else? Recently we want to show off very much - festivals, colourful singing fountains - but abroad everyone knows how people live in our country. Do you know what it looks like? There is nothing to eat at home and the hostess wears a sable fur coat. Let them say that Varduhi is not right but my way of thinking is very realistic.
       - What do you think about the cultural workers supporting this or that political party?
       - I don’t want to judge artists strictly: they are very trustful. When an artist preaches kindness from the stage and suddenly notices the citizens of his city searching for something in dustbins, he just physically can’t pass indifferently and supporting some party, he believes that his participation will change something and that by gaining victory the country will come out of that situation, but… There are artists from whom the people have expectations and they demand that he does something in such situations. I would like to say a few words to our youth.
       - Don’t you like our new generation?
       - That’s not the case. Of course, I like but our youth lacks one thing: they are not interested in the state of the country. They are satisfied with their good cars, with listening to light music, with studying, with cafes, but this is their country, isn’t it? They must become demanding. I still have hope that it will be so, I still will live and create and our talk will still be continued. And I wish your magazine to have a success among the readers.
       By the way, when I was going to visit Mrs. Varduhi’s flat for the interview, she explained to me where she lived in the following way: “ You see, my girl, I live in this house, but the ridiculous thing is that the house is known not because I live there but because in the same house lives “Aboulik who makes barbecue”. And, really, when I was standing in that street and was asking the passers-by if they knew where Mrs. Varduhi lived, a few gave positive answers. And when I asked where “Aboulik who makes barbecue” lived, everyone with smiles on their faces showed me the same house.

                                                                                                            ARMINE GEVORGYAN
THE LEGEND ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN’S INSUPERABILITY

        The incomparable beauty of the Mount Ararat has attracted people since very old times, Noah's Ark, being situated on its summit, has particularly aroused the endless interest of Christian world, the everlastingly snow white and unachievable summit of it has captured many brave travellers. First records about climbing the summit of Masis refer to the beginning of the 4th century, to times of the Armenian's return to Christianity. According to a testimony by Aga-tangeghos, Armenian king Trdat 3rd the Great had brought stones from the summit of Ararat, in order to build the graves for Christian preachers Hripsime, Gayane and other virgins, that had been martyred in Vagharshapat. Another notable story of the same period is connected with the name of Hakob Mtsbnetsi. In response to rumours that the story about universal flood and Noah's Ark doesn't correspond to reality, the patriarch Hakob Mtsbnetsi decides to bring proofs of it from the summit of Ararat himself, that is to say, sacred fragments of Noah's Ark. But he doesn't succeed. God does him a favour, sends him the sacred piece of fragment with an angel and orders not to dare to climb the holy mountain any more.
       After this story the Armenians have held the stories about Ararat as sacred, as an unachievable mountain chosen by God, and have passed them to the foreigners visiting Armenia, thus convincing them as well, that their project to climb its summit is dangerous and senseless. In fact, for centuries continually the idea of conquering the holy mountain has originally percieved as equal to the babel, a new dangerous war-call to God. It's not accidental that pilgrims from different parts of the world have for a long time remained neutral and have been satisfied only by visiting the sorroundings of the mountain.
       In the middle of the 9th century, the first man to visit Armenia with the purpose of worshipping Ararat was the Breton pilgrim Frodmond from Europe. European famous travellers William Rubruque and Marco Polo have been enraptured by Ararat in the 13th century, in the 14-15th centuries - Catholic clergyman Odorikos Pordenone, Ruy Gansales Klavikho, Ambrosio Kontarini, Joseffa Barrbaron, and in the 16th century - John Niuberi.
       Further attempts of the European expeditions (in 1670 - of Sdiyus, in 1701 - of Tournefor, and in 1720 - of Russian emperor Peter the Great) to possess the honour of achieving the summit of Ararat have failed as well. The French brave traveller Piton de Tournefor had begun his ascent near the village Akori. Over the continually sliding strip of land under his feet, overcoming great difficulties, he reached the snowline exhausted and had to stop climbing. On his way back, he fell down and creeped towards the valley for a long space.
       It's noteworthy, that the failure of such a brave person as Tournefor was, had considerably depressed the next European travellers, because of which many people didn't dare to undertake a new ascent for quite a long period. So, in 1814 the Englishman James Morier has noticed: "It seems as if no one has climbed its summit since times of the flood, because each attempt of the vertical ascent towards its snow-covered top was like an impossibility...".
       At the end of the 18th century, the idea of ark-carrying moutain held a firm place in the projects of the Armenian liberation. Russian empress Catherine the 2nd ordered to place the Mount Ara-rat (there should be represented the Noah's Ark on it) in the centre of the future Armenian emblem, as she approved of creating an Armenian state under the protection of Russia, in case prince Pot-yomkin became a king. At that time the idea remained only on the paper, but it was later used in 1918, while creating the emblem of the first Armenian Republic.
       During the first half of the 19th century, many people having visited Armenia kept on writing stories about the inaccessibility of the mountain and the attempts of ascents by Muslim people as well: in 1806 - the Frenchman Pierre Amade Jober, in 1807 - general Gardan, a compatriot of the latter, and in 1809 - the Englishman James Morier. Armenian peasants of the Ararat Valley had told the above-mentioned Morier: "...those who had tried to climb Ararat, had never come back. The Erzrum's pasha had sent 100 people to make an attempt, but all of them had died. An Armenian priest made me believe with a very serious face that Noah's Ark is still there". German diplomats Freigan and Morris fon Coqueboun spoke about the inaccessiblity of Ararat in the 1910-ies.

                                   THOUSANDS OF CENTURIES LATER - AFTER NOAH

       On 10th February of 1928, after passing Yerevan over to Russia, according to the agreement of Turkmencha, Russian scientists immediately took up the scientific exploration of both Eastern Armenia, and Biblical Ararat. The first one of them was the professor of Dorpat (now - the city Tartu of Estonia) University Friedrich Parrot. He had seen Ararat from the heigts of Kazbek since in 1811, and had decided to achieve its unattainable summit by all means. In the middle of September of 1829 the expedition party arrives in Armenia. In Echmiadzin Parrot gets acquainted with the translator of the cathedral, the 20 year-old reader Khachatur Abovyan. Taking into consideration the deacon's knowledge of 4 languages and the great desire to climb Ararat, he includes Abovyan in his expedition group. Beginning from 12th September of 1829, after two unsuccessful attempts having started at the gulf, near St. Hakob church, the third ascent of Parrot's group was finally a success. With incredible strains of powers, the head of the party professor Friedrich Parrot, the 20 year-old reader of the cathedral Khachatur Abovyan, tall and hefty Hovhannes Ayvazyan from Akori (26 years old), jocular and humourist Murad Poghosyan from Akori as well (30 years old), having joined the group of his own free will, as well as participants of Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828, brave soldiers of the 41st regiment Matvey Shalpanov and Aleksey Zdrovenko, overcoming incredible physical and psycological difficulties, and passing round the last hills, closing the view of the mountain summit, stand up on the summit of Biblical Ararat on 27th September, according to the new style - on 9th October, at 3:15pm exactly. "Seriously and silently, and not without a devout shudder, we stepped on the place, where surely no human being had stepped since the times of Noah", confesses Parrot. A month later Parrot's group, in which Abovyan participated again, has another successful ascent on the summit of Small Masis. After the clamourous ascent of Friedrich Parrot, a long time was needed for the people to come to themselves again, some of them from extreme admiration, and some of them from looking forward to God's reprisal for what had occurred. Ignoramus people set their arrow of struggle towards Khachatur Abovyan, the peasants from Akori, and of course towards Parrot. Years were needed for the persecutions to cease, and for the people to get rid of the impossibility comlex of climbing Ararat.

                            NEW EXPEDITIONS

       A notable page in the heroic history of Ararat has been left by the teacher K. Spasski-Avtonomov, to whom legally belongs the honour of the second victorious ascent in the beginning of August in 1835. Karl Bohrence was the third in the human history to reach his goal on 31st July of 1835, having received the support of general V. Behbutov. Russian emperor Nikolay the 1st arrived in Eastern Armenia in October of 1837, with the boundless desire to see the summit, which had become a haven for Noah. But because of foggy weather, the proud mountain, according to words of the Russian Tsar, didn't want to show its face to the autocrat during the three days having spent in the Ararat Valley. The latter left Armenia desperately.
       In June of 1840, an incident occured as if to turn back the present page of the history of Ararat: in June, when the three ascents of overcoming Masis were already behind, a disaster took place in Akori. As a result of an earthquake, the huge snow-layer and piles of stones covered with mud, having got detached from the upper part of the gulf, covered the village Akori and its church. Only a few people were saved from the village, having got nearly 2 000 inhabitants. Superstitious people recalled at once the sad end of the babel.
       This time German well-known scientists, experts on the Armenian country Morris Wagner and Hermann Abych tried to split the weir of darkness. In 1844 Wagner didn't succeed, but the expedition party of Abych, accompanied by a 57 year-old Simon Sargsyan from old Akori, reached the summit on 29th July of 1845. With the help of this, as well as of the next 2 other ascents (in 1846 and in 1850), this honest Armenian showed a great honour to the memory of his compatriots, having fallen sacrifice to the natural disaster, and dispersed people's thoughts concerning the destruction of their village by the power of providence. Beginning from that time, like a great part of survived people from Akori, many inhabitants of the surrounding villages as well, dared to settle down in a territory, being situated at 10km to the north of their former village, and to build the New Akori.
       Kh. Abovyan, being encouraged by Abych's and S. Sargsyan's ascent together with him, didn't linger to join the party of Henry Danby Seymur just the next year. The great enlightener, having turned into an experienced mountaineer, admired the beauty of the Armenian country at the height of 5165m for the second time on 18th September of 1846.
       During the second half of the 19th century new expedition parties climbed Masis: on 6th August of 1850 - with the head of colonel Iosif Khodzko, on 29th June of 1856 - of major Robert Stuart, on 31st August of 1876 - of an English statesman, lawyer, historian, the founder-president of an English-Armenian company, a great Armenian-lover James Brice, in September of 1893 - of an Irish Armenologist, traveller, advocate Henry Lynch.
       Russian mountaineers have also got their peculiar place among the foreigners, having been fascinated by Ararat. In 1880-90-ies the expeditions of D. Mordovtsev (11th August of 1882), E. Markov (25th August of 1888), A. Pastukhov (in 1892, 1893, 1894) followed each other. The beginning of the 20th century was commemorated in the history of ascents towards Ararat by organizing Armenian expeditions, having been undertaken by Armenian mountaineer-researchers. First, at the end of June of 1902, the great linguist Hr. Acharyan carried out a partial ascent together with Zigvard. And on 21st August of 1903, the party of Evangulyants was the first to install a meteorological station on Ararat, which acquired a great significance for scientific new discoveries.
       At the beginning of the century, Ararat was really turned to a symbol of Armenian renaissance. The arrogant image of it, together with Noah's Ark, found its constant place in 1918, on the independent AR's emblem of 1918-1920. The holy mountain became an inexhaustible source of creative inspiration for Armenian writers. It's a pity, but without asking the will of Armenians, by an illegal contract of Moscow in 1921, in the result of the Kemalo-Bolshevik collaboration, the region of Surmalu and the Mount Ararat were presented to Turkey as well, among the other Armenian regions.
       During the whole 20th century, world's interest towards Ararat has never ceased. A number of expedition parties, adventurers, during their partial or complete ascents, have made great efforts to discover the mysteries of the holy mountain. Of course, the problem of Noah's Ark has remained the most tempting and mythical one among them.
       The world still continues to look for our ancestor Noah's salutary ark on the Great Ararat. We - Armenians, are by fate convicted to look not only for the fragments of Noah's Ark, but for the historical truth, the return of our violently-conquerred fatherland symbol, identifying it with the longed for dream to re-create a united Armenia.

                                                             ASHOT MELKONYAN
                                                                 ASSOCIATE-MEMBER OF THE AR NAS



                             TOWARDS AN UNACHIEVABLE ROAD OF GLORY


       Indeed, the circumstance of climbing the summit of Ararat has excited people not only in the past. I think, it's a longed for dream for all the Armenians to reach the summit of that holy mountain at least once, to admire the beauty of the Armenian country from there, and to become firmly persuaded that the circumstance of being lost is a missing of time for our fatherland any more. Ashot Melkonyan (the author of the above-written article, a historian, a specialist of Western Armenian history), is one of those happy Armenians that, ignoring danger and various difficulties, has reached the summit of the holy mountain and now shares his impressions having got during that pilgrimage with us. - Mr. Melkonyan, what is Ararat for You and how did You decide to overcome the summit of the mythical mountain? - In my opinion, if Ararat is a world-created reality for the Christian world (particularly after being passed to Turkey, together with the region of Surmalu, according to the ill-fated Moscow contract in 1921), for us it's in some sense the return symbol of our violently-conquered fatherland. And it's not accidental that Ararat was placed on the emblems of the 1918-20-ies first Republic, and of the Soviet second Republic, and also on that of the third Republic, similar to the first one. I think, Ararat is firstly the return symbol of a lost (temporarily) fatherland, the supreme idea of majesty, inaccessibility, unachievability. Climbing the summit of Ararat has never been in my projects before, as I have never imagined that it would be possible to do such a thing. But in 2006, when we were on our next pilgrimage in Western Armenia (I am a specialist of Western Armenian History, I have been occupying myself with that problem for more than 25 years, and I should say that in some sense I know Western Armenia much better, than Eastern one), in the yard of a hotel in Bayazet, we met a Kurd named Metin, who had already led an Armenian group to the summit of Ararat. There was a talk, that there may be other groups as well. There were skilful mountaineers in our group, who could overcome the summit height: for example, Samvel Baroyan, who was among them, had climbed the summit of Elbrus before that. - Why did You make use of the service proposed especially by the Kurd, and did You have a formal permit? - For getting a formal permit, you have to place an order to the organization of Turkish mountaineers a few months before, which must give its conclusion, and only after that you have the right to start climbing. We agreed with the Kurd, because we - Armenians, had no official right to climb the summit of Ararat. By the way, Kurds cooperate officially with Turkish Alpinist organizations, and are the principal companions of people who carry out ascents. - And why aren't Armenians allowed to climb it? Does the Turkish government lay obstacles on their way? - Years ago, when some American-Armenians had climbed the summit of Ararat and had installed the photos in Internet, Turkish authorities made a decision to forbid all those who were of Armenian nationality to climb it, as they saw some territorial cosiderations in it by the Armenian side towards Turkey. It doesn't even matter if you are a citizen of Armenia or not. What is important, is that you mustn't be of Armenian nationality. Today also the problem remains unsolved. It's already several years, that the appeal of Vardan Vardanyan against Turkish Alpinist company still remains unsolved, as he is a citizen of Russian Federation and he was forbidden to climb Ararat from Bayazet, in the group of Russian mountaineers. - However, how do the Armenians manage to climb it? - During the last 4-5 years, Armenians have never officially managed to climb the summit of Ararat. Those who have climbed, have been in the personnel of foreign alpinist groups, in many cases presenting other surnames. Both, we and all the Armenian groups before and after us, have climbed it "illegally". The Kurds are helping them just in this case. They are the main companions. We can say, it's "a garden" of Kurds. All the mountainous territories of Western Armenia are inhabited with Kurds, and Ararat is in their hands, as "a business". - Did the negotiations with the Kurd last long? - Right 1 year. He was afraid. He said that he couldn't take more than 4 people with him, as it was dangerous, but there were many of us. We have paid for each of us... And we should introduce ourselves as citizens of Russia, but as we weren't similar to Russians so much, we decided to say that we were Ossets. A Bulgarian alpinist, who we met on our way, surely told us in Russian, even with a cunning smile, that we were Armenians, and that it was evident even from our clothes. Anyhow, nobody disturbed us during all our ascent and descent, and in general, till the point when we reached our frontier. - Did You start your ascent with 10 people? - Yes, we did. But we overcame the summit with 9 people. - Are the ways, leading to the summit, many? - Today there exist 4 mountaineering routes for climbing Ararat, two of which from the side of Bayazet are the most available ones. In general, there has been made an attempt of climbing it since in 1856, by the South-Eastern slope of the mountain, by the right part of the gulf, but at the height of 4000m, the steep upsurge and icefield created an obstacle for us. Then, an attempt was made to climb from St. Hakob church above Akori, by the quite soft-slanting North-Eastern slope, and that attempt has been a success. In 1856 the Englishman R. Stuart was the first to refuse to take the North-Eastern route and climbed by the side of Bayazet, that is to say, by the South-Western slope, just by the opposite side of the gulf. Later on, researches proved as well that this was the shortest and the most available route. So we started our climbing by that very most available route. - When was that? - In the morning of 8th August of 2007. I was striving to reach the summit on 10th August, as that day was again symbolic for us: it was the day of Sevre treaty. It was the ideological meaningness of our ascent. After the failure of Sevre treaty, when the Armenian question entered a blind alley, and we lost the possibility to realize our longed for dream, that is, the idea of a united Armenia even if as a symbol, 10th of August remained inside of us, and we did everything in order to reach the summit of Ararat exactly that day. - Describe the route, please. - In the evening of the first day we reached at a height of 3200m and stroke our tents. We overcame the route easily, as the slope was softly-inclined and the load was being carried by donkeys and horses. In the morning of the second day we continued the ascent up to the camp at the height of 4200m. The way became quite difficult. The path was narrow, animals also were moving with geat difficulty. But the noble idea was continually pushing us ahead. The skilful Samvel always heartened us with his words. At the height of 4200 m we settled down at the edge of a nice-looking fountain. According to the testimony of our Kurd companions, it was one of the first direct expressions of the latest years' nature-protecting disaster (superheating). The icefield was melting from above and was becoming more abundant, especially at the end of the day, it was coiling with a roar into the gulf of its own creation, carrying with it a number of huge stones. All that night we weren't able to sleep, because of that roar of the stones, it seemed to us that they were about to fall down on us. On the 3rd day of our ascent, at 4am on 10th of October, we set off with winter outfits and lamps. The ascent had become sharper and more dangerous. The darkness was considerably hampering us. Our Kurd companion kept on hurrying us up, being afraid that the weather could sharply change. We were moving ahead very slowly. By 6.30 am we reached the everlasting snow layer and fixed some quite heavy iron claws on our shoes, in order to be able to walk on the ice. Dawn was coming: a remarkable view opened in front of us. Below us, southwards, Small Masis was rushing up, there was the field of Kogovit (Bayazet) to the south-west, on which the slowly stretching and mysterious shade image of Big Masis was being observed, simultaneous with the rise of the Sun. Eastwards, there was the grand summit. By 7 o'clock, suddenly the light of the rising Sun glittered beyond it, and dazzling our eyes, created an indescribably colourful and rainbow-like image on the panorama of one of the biggest icefields in the north-west of the mountain. I unwillingly recalled words of Khachatur Abovyan: "We were looking at our surroundings, walking on the icefields, and cast a last glame at them, thinking from inside that, maybe it was the last time we were stepping there, as we didn't know whether we would return or not." Frankly speaking, I was also held by a superstition on Ararat, that we did something impudent by climbing the holy mountain, which had been under a taboo by God for long centuries. At the height of nearly 5000m, I suddenly noticed flags swaying on the summit, floating in sun-rays,. Only at that moment I realized, that counted minutes were left till the longed for moment of reaching the summit, that conviction as if passed a supernatural power to each of us: fatigue gave up instantly and each of us separately, breaking our indestructible law of agreement to walk together, rashed towards the Biblical summit. Nearly 2 hours were necessary from the edge of the iceland, at the height of 4900m, till the summit. I reached the summit at exactly 9.15am, and embracing Khoren, having already reached there, I couldn't restrain my emotions... tears burst from my eyes. Many of my friends were already on the summit, together with the Iranian mountaineers. On the highest point, the tricoloured flag was waving, fixed by the mountaineer Artak. The wind, whistling sharply, waved our state flag on the cherished place. The first pleasant moment I felt, was that there was no massif above us. We were standing on the highest point of the Armenian country, on the isthmus of the summit, stretching for 40-50m length from west to east, and 4m width from south to north. After several minutes Liparit and Sergey reached us as well. Of course, like Parrot, Abovyan and Armenian peasants in their times, most of us also had stepped there with a certain awe as well. - What emotions did You have? - An inexpressible, inexplicable emotion. It was like a dream. I needed 10-15m to realize, that what occurred to me was real. Only after that I started to take photos in different directions, and of course, carried out a special ritual, such as setting the tricoloured, burying a cross in the ice, appealing the Armenians sincerely, from the highest point there: In the present case, being myself from Javakhk, sending my regard to my compatriots of Javakhk and to the high summit of the Mountain Abul as well, etc. My emotions were so great that I hadn't even noticed the numerous Iranian mountaineers, who had reached the summit much earlier. "Blessed I am that reaching the summit of Ararat, had the opportunity, together with 2 of my companions, to hear the Armenian dialect", had said Khachatur Abovyan, reaching the summit. We also had such a feeling and we all together worshipped God with one voice, thanked Him for our victorious ascent end. I had a kind of feeling of injustice: me, being an ordinary man, had appeared on the summit of the holy mountain, when that right firstly belonged to Hovhannes Tumanyan, Avetik Isahakyan, Vahan Teryan, Yeghishe Charents, Hovhannes Shiraz, Silva Kaputikyan, to all our great people, who had glorified Ararat, had been inspired by it, had devoted inextinguishable works to the sacred mountain. Perhaps, what was consoling, was that it's already 1 year, that the heart of our Great Shiraz had found its eternal rest here on the summit, under the everlasting ice, owing to the efforts of our 4 compatriots: Gevorg Hachyants - a tutor of Yerevan State University, Hrach Makaryan - an experienced mountaineer, Albert Toneyan and Mkhitar Mkhitaryan. It had been the poet's desire. - In Your story You were talking about several summits of Ararat. Describe the real structure of the summit, please. - It's the same as Friedrich Parrot, Khachatur Abovyan and others have described. What is called summit, is a 4-5m length isthmus, stretching from west towards the Ararat Valley. If from Yerevan you look at the structure of your stretched out fingers of your right hand, Ararat's 5 summits are outlined just the same way, from north to south. All the 5 summits are situated under the icefield. The northern summit (4700m) is in the direction of the Armenian Par, the next one is in the same direction, a little higher (4916), the southern one faces Small Masis (nearly 4900). The 2 summits in the centre are the highest: one - of 5165m, is situated much more to the south-west, if you look from the Ararat Valley, and the other one, which is much nearer the Ararat Valley, and is situated to the south-east from the big summit, is a little lower - nearly 5137m. In the middle of Big Ararat (5165m) and the second summit (5137m), there is a cavity covered with snow and icefield, where, according to Friedrich Parrot, Noah's Ark should be situated, and through that cavity or through the gulf of Masis, just at the time of snow-melting, pieces of wood and logs have come down till the village Akori. One of them was found by the peasants of Akori in 1814. Or, for example, a Frenchman of Bask origin, named Navara, have brought some of that fragments, and they are still being kept in different museums and at his home itself. It's a piece of hardened oak wood, which is supposed to be a fragment from Noah's Ark. In many cases people have shot films and have written books about it, with the title of "I've Found Noah's Ark". - You mentioned in Your speech for many times, that you didn't believe You could overcome the ascent. Did there exist a disturbing circumstance? - Yes, first I was depressed by the knowledge of scientific literature, because I knew what hardest difficulties people have overcome, in many cases, haven't even reached the summit, and it has had a tragical end. I also knew, that those who had overcome, had suffered great difficulties. Later I realized, of course, why I was able to overcome it. Everyone knows the illness "hypoxy", an oxygen shortage. You must spend some time at certain heights for your organism to get adapted in the course of time. All of us were troubled by the feeling at what moment that respiration should occur. It should be expressed by dizziness, headache, sickness, disability to walk, and why not, by awful fluctuation of pressure as well and so on. At the height of 4300m, calmly lain down, beating of my heart was 120-130 in a minute. Imagine how much it would increase during the ascent. Second, we have climbed by the most accessible and shortest route, many mountaineers had tried to overcome the ascent by that way. A very narrow path had been opened. It was enough to be distracted from that path even for 2m, and you appeared among boulders, sliding strips of land, which caused a serious difficulty. That was the reason that each of us had a fear whether we would reach the summit or not. The most important thing was that my alpinist friends had taught me an interesting sentence: "Never say - I overcame the summit”. If the mountain doesn't wish to accept you itself, you will never overcome its summit. - Is that something like a superstition? - It's difficult to say: in any case, it's a strict law in mountaineering. When the weather changes sharply, a snow-storm starts, it's misty, and there is a danger to be distracted from the path, you must turn back and walk down without an obstinacy. - What kind of view was there from the summit? - A remarkable view. All the Ararat Valley was beyond our feet. When we looked towards north-east, Yerevan and Echmiadzin were visible in the mist. Despite the mist, Aragats was clearly outlined in the north, I thanked it, because it was after overcoming its summit twice, that I had a persuasion and confidence to climb Ararat. In the direction of the Iranian frontier, the region of Artaz was clearly observed, as well as the field of Avarayr. We saw the Armenian Par in the west, the summit Tondzurek was seen in the distance, much farther, on the Armenian Par, in the direction of north-west, the lake Gaylatu was clearly observed, which is a tiny lake on the Armenian Par, at the height of nearly 2000-2300m. Small Masis was constantly in front of our eyes. - How much time did You stay at the summit? -For about an hour. We couldn't stay longer. There was an open space from 4 sides surrounding us, a terrible wind, and though the temperature was -100C, there was such a frost because of the wind, that even cameras refused to work. Anyhow, we managed to take photos of the surroundings of the Armenian country. There was a desire to go towards the Ark and the summit, being situated in the centre of the one we had overcome, but our Kurd companion didn't advise us to do that. The possibility of the icefield to move was big, which could become a reason for throwing frozen stones down during the sharp ascent on our way back. - And what was the weather like in general during the whole ascent and descent? - I didn't mention it accidentally, that both God and the mountain were favourable towards us, and the weather was fine till the end of our pilgrimage. Before us there had been other groups as well, but the weather wasn't so much favourable. Imagine, there grow wonderful flowers at the height of 4200m. Only in the evening of the second day there was a terrible thunderstorm, but after the rain a remarkable view was opened, including the 7 colours of the rainbow. - And what can You say about the military bases situated on the slope of the mountain? - They are situated on the north-eastern slope of the mountain, near the gulf, at the village Akori, at the height of 2000-2500m, and they face the territory of the Armenian Republic. They are supposed to have been military bases of NATO, during the cold war: observation posts, rockets, military techniques, directed towards the former socialistic bloc. At present also, especially at nights, you can clearly see the lights of those military bases, and those people who wish to carry out researches near the gulf, or make an ascent in that direction, are hindered with serious obstacles just by those soldiers. Two other bases are also supposed to be situated there, in the centre of the 2 Masises, at the height of nearly 2800m. In 1921 government of the Soviet Russia was improvident to exchange the region of Surmalu, together with the Ararat summit, with the port of Batumi, from which Georgia gained of course. At that time Russia considered Turkey as a relative country, and we became the victim of that Soviet-Kemal collaboration. A native land was taken away from us, which had never been in the structure of Ottoman Empire. - Did You discover something new for You, that You had never imagined before? - Of course, I couldn't imagine, that I was standing on the highest point, and I was shouting: “5165 m! I'm now the highest of all the settlements and people of the Armenian country!" Something like psychosis had arosen: I always mentioned the circumstance, that on the day of Sevre treaty, just on 10th of August, the day that was so symbolic for us, we were on the summit of Ararat, and we were deeply sure that the word "lost", which is on the symbol Ararat of our violently-conquered fatherland, should be taken out of our lexicon once and for ever, as a native land can never be a "lost" one. We must by all means give that opportunity to some other generation, in order to bring our fatherland back. And what concerns Ararat, which is considered to be the symbol of our fatherland, it must be returned all the more.

                                                                                                            ANUSH BULGHADARYAN
CREATION – AS A REALIZED NECESSITY

        Vahan Artsruni is one of the brightest representatives of modern musical art: one who creates new musical types in different genres, be it folkrole, rock or classical music, at the same time remaining faithful to national traditions.

       - Tell us about Your first feelings in the musical field. What did it all begin from?
       - Since childhood my mother has taken me to a musical school, where I was taught to play the violin. I studied there only for half a year. Soon I was very much bored with it and left it. Then I attended classical guitar lessons for some time in the house of journalists. But it didn't satisfy me as well. Much later, some friends of mine, which were a little elder than me, entered the polytechnical institute, and I often visited them. There was a club working in the institute, which was engaged in the study of Armenian folklore. I started to attend there and soon I felt that it also wasn't that, which was necessary to me. So at that time I started to occupy myself with folklore. Soon the music of Arthur Mes-chyan's group "Apostles" attracted my attention. Meschyan offered me to play in their group. In general, he has had a great influence in the formation of my art. After some time, by his advice I entered the chorus "Narek" for men. According to the 6 years spent there, I realized what an Armenian real spiritual music is. If there wasn't that institute in my life, I could have known nothing. This was followed by another job: I sang for one year in Chekidjyan's capella. Parallel with that I was always engaged in rock music. Now I try to preserve 4 directions: classical chamber music, progressive rock music, songs written on Razmik Davoyan's poetry and music for films. In general, all that I mentioned is the result of my 20 years' creative life.
       - Perhaps today it's hard to imagine, that the musician Vahan Artsruni had from the first chosen another sphere of activity for himself. However, it has been that way. How did it happen? Your great-grandfather's, a famous scientist Vahan Artsruni's heredity is said to be the reason of it. Tell us about him.
       - First, I studied in the medical institute. What concerns my great-grandfather, having been a professor of Sorbonne, he was one of the founders of Yerevan State University. There are busts standing on the threshold of the University, one of which is his. Much later medical, polytechnical and national economics institute were separated from the University and became individual higher educational institutions. My great-grandfather was appointed as the head of the anatomy department, which is carrying his name till now. When he was awarded a doctor's degree in Armenia, he said, "I am very grateful for being awarded a doctor's degree. Though I have got one degree from Sorbonne..." He preferred to occupy himself with a scientific activity. It's he that has made up the first medical dictionary of terminology and the only Armenian-Russian-Latin dictionary. He has bequeathed his heart and brain to the museum of anatomy, as a preparatory. He was a man of ideas, of mind and was ready to devote his own life to others. The University still honours his memory. As I am Vahan Artsruni's great-grandson and carry his name myself, the least thing I had to do was graduating from the Medical Institute. To tell the truth, I can't say that I have done it without any pleasure. But after graduating from the institute, I put my diploma on the table and said, "Dear mother, may I now occupy myself with what I have all my life strived for?" So, the transition from medicine to music was very smooth for me. After graduating from the Medical Ins-titute, I entered the residency and conservatory at the same time. It happened in the following way. The manager of the chorus "Narek" was Mkrtich Mkrtchyan (Misha), who has been teaching in Sor-bonne during the last years. On a wonderful day, when the examinations had started in the Medical Institute, Misha came to me and said, "Do you know, that there will be a hearing in our conservatory and it's very important for me that you take part there. You have to perform only three compositions." Without going deep into why he needed that, I entered the mentioned room and performed all the three compositions. When I was going out, I was said, "It's wonderful! Now you have to do the same in front of the committee". Coming out of the room, I asked Misha, "What committee do they mean?" As it was proved later, Misha had written an appeal on my behalf to enter the conservatory. I was going to refuse from that undertaking, when Misha said, "You won't escape any more. If you have been approved of, then you have got only one step to take. Are you going to stop at a half way?" I realized that I couldn't get off with it so easily. I had to prepare and pass the exam. The wonderful singer Gohar Gasparyan was in the exam committee. After my performance she called me to her and said, "Write down my name!" After coming out of there I asked Misha what Gohar Gasparyan's those words meant. It proved that according to the rules, it was the student that had to choose a tutor for her/himself. Misha couldn't believe for a long time that Gohar Gasparyan could have herself offered me such a thing. "There have never been such a thing", he was repeating stupified. So, I was quickly entered the second course of preparatory department, and after a year I was already studying in the second course of the conservatory's vocal department. It's already a long time that Misha has been living in another country, but I often remember him, as it's only owing to his resourcefullness that I have become a professional musician. After that there was a specific stream: a lot of students, having graduated from the Medical Institute, started to enter conservatory. I'll notice, that interest towards academical music was formed gradually in me, during whole my life. During the years of studying in conservatory Gohar Gasparyan kept saying: "I strive to prepare you for big stages, but I feel that you have other points of view." The problem was, that I could no way imagine me on the stage of opera. But entering the vocal faculty, I knew that I could easily move to the composition faculty from there. I wanted very much to study at Terteryan, but he died after having lived in Germany for a long time. I was also thinking about studying at Lazar Saryan. But nothing came out of it as well.
       - For some time you have been actively engaged in organizing musical festivals, haven't you?
       - I had established good relations with the Swiss Karin Bachman, who was the founder of the youth club of Armenian-Swiss company "Aragast". He offered me to realize a musical project, introducing the interests of youth. As a result, I organized the festival named "Gaudeamus", which was taking place for each half a year. Various groups, arrived from different cities, were already taking part in the fourth festival, among which was the group "Krematori" from Moscow, the concert of which took place in the MIA's house of culture. We were going to organize the fifth festival as a student competition, but I was sent to the army at that time, and everything was finished with it.
       - What are You engaged in today?
       - I have finished a very interesting work guite lately, which is related to spiritual traditions of Assyrian church in the East. That is generally a layer of clergies, which are directly connected with our spiritual culture. As we remember, the holy masses in our churches were performed in Greek and Assyrian languages before the invention of Armenian script. When you go deeper into that field, you realize that, both the cultural traditions of Armenian apostolic church, as well as those of the copts, Euthopian civilization, and in general, traditions of all the Eastern churches, are considered as a common field, where all these sprouts have been emerged. You seem to be situated near the emergence sources of the culture. Before, the church tradition was mainly performed orally. Procee-ding from both its secret feature, and from the circumstance that this teaching was considered to be a delusion, they have suffered minimum influences and have nearly undergone no changes. I have had the opportunity to have a relation to them, when we invited two priests from Uremia. Their public worship was first recorded in the studio of the composers' union, and afterwards, during 6 months, I was engaged in the instrumentation of that material and in its harmonious conclusion. Two laser discs were created as a result of this work, which will be issued in the near future.
       - I think, the stress of Your activity is put mainly on researches.
       - Sometimes I perform as an instrumentator, sometimes as a composer, and sometimes as a commentator.
       - But there exists method in everything You undertake.
       - Maybe it's because I like learning and I am used to systemizing everything. Only in that case it's possible to percieve everything appropriately, and our chaotic apprehension becomes more concrete. But that takes place of course, as far as possible, because churches and people, that possess those cultural treasures, preserve them quite jealously. Besides, we are used to percieve Chistianity as a Western-Indian religion, and my interest towards it is such, as it is towards Eastern religion.
       - How is Your work realized in the cinema field?
       - Everything began when I was asked to create soundtracks for a film, while it's already the sixth documentary film being shot. The purpose of these films is to show that the Assyrians, though having lost their republic and having no own borders, living in different countries, continue to live with the same cultural values and they consider themselves as a united nation. This kind of research helps us a lot to make a clear idea of our own culture. We are used to percieve our own culture separate from everything, as if it's hung on the air. We don't know about our own relations and other influences. In the consequence of that, our imaginations about who we really are, are in some cases exaggerated, and in some cases - even maximum re-duced.
       - I think, there exists such a problem at every nation. But when there is a possibility to come into contact with real historical facts, which reveal some cause and effective phenomena, then it always helps people to get stronger from inside.
       - Besides, in my opinion, global music has entered a stage of development, when not only the composer's subjective experiences become a musical resource, but the whole musical-cultural heredity of humanity as well. International music and aestheticism of postmodernism attract me especially with that feature. That kind of viewpoint requires a nature of new priesthood. There are many musicians in the world, that work today by making use of exactly that resource. The most surprising thing is that our Armenian musical culture is primary one in that resource. Let's recall even the story of duduk. When it concerns the globalization, first of all I don't percieve it from objective point of view, stating, for example, how destructive the influence of internet is on my child, when he plays games all day long, but I realize that globalization gives the broadest opportunity to a person, and awards him with a wonderful chance to associate with international culture. All the events of cultural life, which don't have an inner spiritual power in themselves are destructive and dangerous in my opinion, especially in the present period of history, when spiritual values of the past don't exist any more, and spiritual world of present isn't formed yet. Today the less we accept the fact, that occurring events are real, the less comrehensible we are ourselves in front of international culture. Today's isolation of the intelligentsia from cultural values can do no good. Each nation should be able to identify itself with its own values. And when it doesn't take place, you begin to realize: either you are cut off from your nation, or the nation is cut off from you. In short, the artists haven't managed to create such a cultural field at present, which will be able to secure a real interest towards cultural life. During all the Armenian history our national culture hasn't been much in demand inside the country. The Armenians have for centuries created a certain resource, which has been more used in other countries and other cultures. That is our nation's cross to carry. It's the problem of all those countries and nations, which haven't managed to create an own cultural elite. It's a very sad conclusion, which is difficult to be conciliated with, in order to be possible to admit it. However, it has been just that way, and I can't realize how it can be changed today.
       - But You continue to work just here, in our own country. Why? Maybe You have managed to create Your own oasis or some kind of original escape.
       - I have worked a lot to reach that. Many of my friends, that haven't managed to create that small space around themselves, have stopped to be engaged in composition today. But it's not a solution to the question.You exist in a concrete address, inside four walls, but that means nothing for the culture as a whole. As neither you, nor public decides the value of what you have done, but time itself does.
       - But time can ruthlessly devour as well. Many cultural "worthless" treasures have been destroyed and tracelessly forgotten. I think that the most important stimulus of an artist is the inner confidence, the feeling that the creation is first of all vitally necessary to him/herself, and then - to all the others.
       - Surely. Composition is like liberty: it's first of all a realized necessity.

                                                                                                            HARUTYUN ZULUMYAN

CREATIVE CONFLICTS

        There are people who can't imagine their life without creation. Armenian national artist, a wonderful actor of theatre and cinema Vladimir Msryan belongs to them. Even after having a serious myocardium stroke, he was able to pull himself together, and won the principal prizes in the international 2 festivals in Damascus and Anapa. Quite recently Vladimir Msryan was awarded an order of Appreciation by the RF. No one in Armenia has ever received such an honourable prize.

       - So, since childhood You have been absorbed in a theatrical atmosphere. - Though I was living in a theatrical family and often went on tours with them, I wasn’t fascinated with theatre. At school I was mostly attracted by technical subjects. Interest towards theatre appeared much later, when in the 8th form I was offered to take part in a literature party. It was my Russian Literature teacher, a woman of marvellous beauty and extraordinarily talented, that woke up a special love in me towards literature. All the boys in our class, without exception, were in love with her. After finishing school I left for Moscow to enter the Aviation-Technical Institute of Moscow, but soon I took my documents and moved to the theatrical college named after Shchukin. I successfully passed the 2 stages, and in the third stage I was declared that I had a little disadvantage, because of which, in spite of my great abilities, I could by no means enter the art faculty. It was my Caucasian accent. Being given a letter of recommendation, I was sent to the course of studies in Yerevan, in the Art-Theatrical Institute, the director of which was a wonderful producer and pedagogue Armen Gulakyan. Many marvellous actors attended the courses together with me, among which was Armen Djigar-khanyan. Of course, first of all, an actor must be gifted from above, but he must get a right direction of life during life itself. And it’s very important. The pedagogue Armen Gulakyan has helped me a lot in it. After graduating from the Institute, I was appointed in a play in the theatre of Youth Spectators. After working for some times, I was soon invited to the theatre named after Stanislavski, and much later, when Hrachya Ghap-lanyan was still founding the Dramatic Theatre, I was invited as well. Beginning from that time I have been playing in Yerevan Dramatic Theatre. - I think, You have had a large repertoire. What roles have You played? - In my repertoire, there are all roles, that each of the actors would dream to play. Among them I have played the Shakespearean Hamlet, about of which each of the actors dreams, irrespective of the fact if he corresponds to the role or not. It’s one of the most complex roles. I don’t know an actor, who could totally express that role. In general, I’ve played many Shakespearean roles. The only one, which I haven’t played, but would like to play very much, is Richard’s role in the piece “Clarence”. To tell the truth, once I succeeded to play that role as well. Theatrical workers of Moscow had been on a visit to Yerevan. Ghaplanyan wanted very much to show them his performance, but he was in an argument with the main performer Levon Tukhikyan. At that time, I was playing the role of the duke of Clarence in the same performance, and I perfectly knew both of the roles up to the end. Hrachya Ghaplanyan asked me to help him and, without a training, I played the role of Richard in the piece “Clarence” in front of the guests from the beginning to the end. Listening, that I was playing that role on the stage for the first time in my life, the guests were astonished. “Such exceptional artists play in my theatre!”, proudly declared Ghaplanyan. But when he offered me to play that role in the future, I refused categorically. As it was my friend’s, a wonderful actor Levon Tukhik-yan’s role, wasn’t it? And he had made great efforts for the creation of that character. “Levon Tukhik-yan is my friend and colleague, and I don’t want to take the role away from him”, I justified my refusal. And I never played that role again any more. When Ghaplanyan and Tukhikyan were friendly again, Hrachya Ghaplan-yan told Levon Tukhikyan, ”If I had a friend like Volodya Msryan, I would be the happiest person! ” - And how did You appear in the cinema? - Unfortunately, I appeared in there was a cinema quite late. At that time it wasn't so easy, as in the Armenian cinema, the rule, that the same actors were always playing. For the first time I was offered a role in the film by Arman Manaryan - "Return". I was alre-ady 35 years old then. Later I played a small role as well, and after that I got the role of Paganini in the film "Nicolo Paganini" by Menaker, which forced my way through the great cinema. After that role I refused for a long time to play in films. I didn't like the roles offered. But Armen Djigar-khanyan prompted me that it was a wrong approach. "While you're being offered roles, play them! Choose the ones that more or less correspond to you and play them!", he said. After that I again played several roles in the studios of Belarus and Tadjikistan. - What should a film actor be able to do? In essence, the role of Paganini was a cinematographic masterpiece, wasn't it? If I'm not mistaken, it was written that no Armenian actor has ever played a role of such scale. - The quality of a real actor is always decided by time. It's people's and time's appreciation. An actor must by all means be gifted with the most human characteristic features, such as kindness and honesty. An actor mustn't store his achievements on himself. If he piles all his roles on his head, he won't be able to move forward. An actor must be able to create his character himself. As a rule, when I start to work on a new character, I am at maximum careful. Every time I have a feeling, as if I'm doing my first steps like a child. What concerns cinema, I don't accept the idea of "tipage" or, which is more awful, when people are invited from abroad to play. I don't think the films interesting, in case there are no bright artistic characters in it. I consider myself as an actor of theatre, but I like films as well. Cinema carries a certain magic in itself, which is difficult not to notice. There are films, by playing in which you can get an international fame only in 1 night. And this is a very big fascination. Besides, it's very interesting for me to play in front of the camera. But today there is a long-lasting interval in the cinema for me. - To tell the truth, I thought that after playing in the role of Paganini, You would be abundantly overflown with offers. - After that role many people were hurt by me. And some people just began to be afraid of me. Imagine what’ll be, if they invite me to play in their films, and if it proves that nothing will come of it. It’ll be a kind of situation, as if they “sign under their helplessness”. The film-studio “Armenfilm” hasn’t yet offered me any roles as well. But I was shot very little abroad, I played in a Belarus serial “White dresses”, in the role of a general of SSC Asikritov. I’ve never thought I’ll manage to play a role, having nothing general with my real character. But that role was surprisingly interesting. Then I was invited to play in “Whirlpool”, a film by Bako Sadikov on the basis of Chingiz Aytmatov’s work. It has never been shown by Armenian television, though it has won a lot of awards. - And what do You think, if You changed Your place of living, would You be a much more success? - I have had a lot of invitations. I have been invited by the best theatres. But I didn’t want to leave my theatre. Besides, while moving to a new place, it’s necessary to start everything at a new page. - Do You think that creature is born in sufferings? - Certainly! When Armen Khandikyan and me were just putting the performance “Forgetting Herostrat” on the stage, Hrachya Ghaplanyan had an extremely jealous approach to our activity. During the presentation of the performance to the spectator, suddenly he got nervous and started saying that we were doing nothing right. Then he began to shout at me, ”You behave yourself as a reasoner!” I was very much hurt. “Darling!”, I said, “I’m not a reasoner, I’m a genius. And I demand a respect to me.” “I’ve never seen a living genius. If you’re a genius, you can write an appeal and leave. Our theatre is not for geniuses.” I wrote an appeal and left. Some time passed. Soon Hrachya Ghaplanyan arranged for us to meet. He invited me to the cabinet, returned the appeal to me and said, ”It’s enough to stay offended. Come to the theatre from tomorrow!” But then he was telling everybody that I had asked him almost kneeling to be returned to the theatre. So, there can be different conflicts in creative life. While putting “Nicolo Paganini” on the stage, such arguments were burst with the producer of the film, that when the film was accomplished, we had to ask each other for excuses. But in fact, I think, that conflicts are considered to be the components of a creative process. And without those collisions we would hardly manage to reach the necessary results. So, they are sometimes simply necessary in a creative process.

                                                                                                            HARUTYUN ZULUMYAN
YEREVAN AND JAZZ OF THE SEVENTIES
VAZGEN ASATRYAN

        The jazz musicians of the seventies well known to our society have recently come out with performance which, as one may say, is really a great pleasure for us – the citizens of Yerevan. The honoured and gifted musicians and soloists of Armenian jazz music and glorious variety orchestra conducted by maestro Konstantin Orbelyan, perform in the group. Great is the role of outstanding musician Vazgen Asatryan, the founder of band, in the formation of “Jazz-band of the 70-ies” and the organization of the concerts. He is one of the old Yerevan citizens who attaches much importance to the preservation of gold traditions of Armenian jazz art, the presentation of the best works of our jazz and variety music to a younger generation. Thus, while proceeding with the jazz topic, we could not leave out our old and new citizen of Yerevan and could not help asking him a number of questions about jazz and Yerevan we are interested in. - We would like to listen to your opinion about the preservation of jazz traditions and the jazz propaganda. Is our society the carrier of the traditions of this music trend and in general, who is “the responsible one” for such serious problems?

       - Unfortunately, today our society has a little role in the preservation and continuation of jazz traditions. The so-called “show business” of these days and in general, the 3-chord music prevents the recognition of real art. Jazz is like classical music. Both are similarly complex and understandable and can not be accepted by everyone. Classical music concerts take place in half-empty halls. The same is in case of jazz concerts, only in small halls as it has lately become somehow fashionable. I consider it a natural phenomenon as it is so all over the world. In Armenia there are just about 3 million inhabitants and jazz amateurs are few in number. In bigger countries, like France only 5 million among 60 million population understand jazz, but it is quite a large number and quite natural. As to responsibility, the role of artists is great. I`d like to mention only several names such as Artem Ayvazyan, the founder of jazz, Tsolak Vardazaryan, the father of Martin Vardazaryan, maestro Konstantin Orbelyan… The latter has been “number one” musician within the whole Soviet Union for 36 years consecutively, and this was in such a period when jazz was banned music. Combining jazz and variety, Orbelyan was able to achieve such balance when presenting it to them that even the civil servants of such a country as the Soviet Union could find nothing “to stick to”. His role in the jazz art history of Armenia is undeniable. Today and, in fact, recently Levon Malkhasyan carries out great work towards the jazz propaganda. He collects young jazz fans, provides them with the opportunity to play, try their strength. Great was his role in the formation of “Jazz big-band” of Artsakh as well. As far as I know him, I remember his intention to open a jazz-club. Thank God, he managed to do it. From younger generation I want to mention Armen Martirosyan. He continued the work of maestro Orbelyan and created the State Jazz Orchestra of Armenia. We are glad that he continues the “big band” traditions. In the jazz art history of Armenia we can also mention Martin Vardazaryan, as we, musicians, call him “our encyclopedia”. They generally call him the encyclopedia of jazz-variety music. Yervand Yerznkyan, of course, who continues the work of television and radio jazz band. So, jazz lives in Armenia and advances proportionally. - The artist should not be “adaptable”, just vice versa, irrespective of this or that disposition of the authorities of the country, the artist should take the role of art preserver, shouldn’t he? - On the whole, it is so, but the authorities almost have nothing to do with it. The preservation of art is in the hands of the people, the intelligentsia, the artists, mass media and producers. It is them who should be engaged in propaganda. Love towards art in a human-being is mainly born with the help of propaganda. Very few are genetically born as art lovers. Others begin to love it while seeing, listening to, “Socializing” with art. It’s the other side of the question as to what kind of art is performed. The television programs about jazz are very few. We know 2 names – Armen Tutundjyan and Iren Bayatyan. The other channels mainly broadcast “Rabis”. I want to stress not “bad” but “tasteless” – these two are different notions. - Where to find reasons? - In the way “Show-business” earns money. It is easier to work on 3-chords without any effort than waste years on learning to play. It is difficult to perceive the complex in all the spheres. - Can you compare jazz of the 70-ies and that of today? - It will not be right to compare as we were playing jazz of the 30-ies with new instruments, clearer sounding and putting into it a bit newer spirit. Then people lived with it, trained daily 7-8 hours and today not everyone devotes most of his day to training. And it is necessary to play and, why not, frequently to conduct “jam sessions” with different groups. It is what we lack today. - Why just “Jazz-band of the 70-ies”? The band could have a more fashionable name, couldn’t it? - As all of us are the generation of the seventies and the sons of our beautiful Yerevan, the idea was that our land and our music should remind us about our Yerevan of those times. - Is Yerevan different today? - Yerevan is a special city and has a bad “characteristic feature”. It “swallows” many people but “does not digest them”. Sometimes it “vomits”, and sometimes it “declares war, falls ill”. And if it accepts someone, he remains in its heart, in its mind. We should love and understand this city. One of these days Tata Simonyan was a guest in one of TV channels. I have known and respected him as a good person for a long time, but I do not agree with the opinion expressed by him that he is tired of tufa, its color, that he likes modern glass houses as they shine in the sun and as he likes shining things… I apologize to Tata but I do not agree with his opinion. Not every shining thing is beautiful. We do not live in a seaside city, we live in a country of dust and stone. The glass houses built without any standards, spoil the architectural composition of our city. I understand the modern is beautiful but we can be content with building only a new, modern block. Even in such a country as France the classical sight of Paris was not changed, they maintained urbanism. Houses of beautiful, modern style were built but in a new block. They did not mix with the houses built at the beginning of the 20-th century with the traditional tufa and basalt and appearing to be classical values. We declare the whole world that our city has a history of 2789 years but how can we prove the same world? I do not know: maybe by shining glass houses? One can not erase the history and create the new one. The same is with our art. We all have learned to create the new, the unique on the basis of classical music. - It seems we again return to music. - Yes, as the basis is the same. It is interesting that we have maintained the basis of classical, jazz music, but that of the variety we do not want to. Only lately we have started to mention outstanding names in this trend, and this is for the simple reason that with the help of the concert devoted to the 70-ies and organized by us, the names long fallen into oblivion, were recalled again. We have music which will remain in the history. It was created by Arno Babajanyan, Konstantin Orbelyan, Artemi Ayvazyan, Jaque Douvalyan, Robert Amirkhanyan. Listening to these songs, one immediately imagines Yerevan. Today there are no such songs. The existing old ones are modified into “remix” version. Today there is no song to remain in the memory of the people. After 10, 15 years they are going to be forgotten. But our classical works, the songs of our great composers have existed, do exist and will exist. - Everyone knows that the heartbeat of Yerevan is Abovyan Street. Yet, since old times, when it was called Astafyan, it was the walk-place of our intelligentsia, what about today? - I remember, there used to be a small café next to the Union of Artists Building. There I met Hrachya Nersisyan, Vakhtang Ananyan, Robert Yolchyan and many other great people. We visited this place with my great grandfather. People greeted each other respectfully, standing out from their seats, taking off their hats. There was respect towards the old. Today, unfortunately, there is little left from this respect, the young can be rude with or offend the old. - It seems you developed my idea: what does our city lack? - The lack of upbringing. Following the foreign customs, we are led by improper TV propaganda. - I would not have revealed a secret by mentioning that the café “Parisian Coffee” where now our talk is taking place, is owned by you. It is not my first visit here and I have always met the intelligentsia of older and young generations here. I have met a real “stardom” of artists. Though today the name star has been so much misused, that it has lost its real meaning, but in this case, my words are just the case. How could you explain that? - There is nothing arranged on purpose. It happened that the intelligentsia of the city started to gather here. There should be something indeed. One can never make an artist do this or that. To be frank, I would not like to see ignorant people here. Here one cannot find luxury, can ot find glass, luxury tables and furniture. Here everything has been done just to provide the pleasant rest of an artist. In Paris Monparnas cafes, the tables are smaller, more curved, more uncomfortable, connected to each other but people enjoy talking to each other. We do not want to spoil this contact with loud vulgar laugh and perverted talks. - So, do you exclude your investment in this activity? - Of course. I exclude it because this is Yerevan, which is inexplicable. It must be felt from inside, by heart. I do not know a person who can explain what Yerevan is. I live in my city and try to live in accordance with my upbringing and the rules of my Yerevan: the rules, which are the breath and soul of the artists of the 70-ies (of course, not the soviet ones). The intelligentsia of Yerevan has been always led by its rules. Thank God, this continues today. It is very important as the country without intelligentsia is condemned to collapse. - What does Vazgen Asatryan do at present? - We have small audio recording studio. We record some works with my friends. Here we have no intention to earn money. Our concern is to record talented young musicians, for example, just the very Levon Malkhasyan. I want to turn to art more seriously. - What is the implication of the last year concert devoted to the Women`s Day? - It was a unique parade of generations. It was necessary for the young generation to play music with the old one, in this way they could get to know, respect, love and preserve their roots. - Is it easy to combine business and art? - No. Business interferes with art and vice versa. But I prefer art. - What does it result in? - As a result both suffer. If you are an artist you should completely devote yourself to it, otherwise the art remains incomplete. This phenomenon, unfortunately, is actual in our city as the notion of “show-business” is also an art by means of which they earn money, but not for the sake of art. The real art propaganda will also seriously interfere with the development of business. Music broadcast today is easily forgotten. It seems that one has already listened to it or that all of them sing the same song. It is a new style with incomprehensible words. They record, improve “the falsities” by computer, release CD-s and broadcast and show the video clip until the youth grows dull and takes it for a real art. Only a few are distinguished. There is also one phenomenon which I consider very shameful. The novice artist having been on the stage for only five years, receives the same title of “honoured” as a really honoured artist, having been on the stage for 30-40 years of his life, a person who has enriched “the gold fund” of Radio. There is no clear distinction. One should not place on the same rank the people whose investments are actually different. - Do you see the option? - Certainly. If we do not have faith, we are not optimistic and do not struggle, then our life costs nothing. We got independence not for the purpose of being perverted. If each one has his own work and is the master of his work, the country will have progress. If in our country each one wakes up with his profession, and not 3 million presidents or directors and managers wake up every morning, everything will get in its place. I am sure many people think to officially fill the gaps. - What is your wish to “Yerevak”? - I wish you to be objective, demanding, to present the requirements of those who you take an interview with. I wish you not to be afraid of telling the truth, mentioning names. To tell the truth is not a shame. There is a popular saying “The bitter truth is better than the sweetest lie”. We had already finished the interview and were going to say good-bye to the famous musician when Susanna Shahinyan, a well-known TV presenter, came up to us. We could not miss the opportunity and ask her to describe in 2 or 3 words the real citizen of Yerevan. - Every time I talk about my colleagues, as well as my contemporaries, with great enthusiasm as we have grown together in this city. I have always admired their performances, it has been a great honor for me to stand with them on the same stage. However, our last performances, of course, made different impression and influence on my whole biography. First, I appeared on the same stage with this group for the first time after a long break. It was like second youth for me. Second, they have not changed at all, they are the same best musicians, full of the same love towards the audience, with the same responsibility, the same craftsmanship, but always ready to improve. And Vazgen returned our Yerevan not only to me but also to the whole group, that very Yerevan which we know. He returned us the feeling of having a capital, the idea that we are the inseparable part of the capital, the idea that we have grown here… I think this enterprise was an award of special gratitude of the whole collective to our capital, that Yerevan which has given us all this – the desire and opportunity to grow further… It is given to us and, of course, our audience and all those who love and appreciate real art and the real art of music. Vazgen Asatryan who considers himself an old and real citizen of Yerevan was born and grew up in Yerevan, left the secondary school after Chekhov, when at school, he also studied in the double-bass department of the musical school after Sayat - Nova. He graduated from musical college after R. Melikyan. He worked in Armconcert, at the end of the 70-ies he was a member of the famous vocal-instrumental groups “Armina”, “Erebuni”, played in the group “Yerevan” by Ara Babajanyan and the state variety orchestra conducted by Konstantin Orbelyan. As a sound director, he worked in the Sport and Concert Complex, he carried activities also in Moscow (in the group “Tsveti” of Stas Namin) and in the USA. He perfectly masters the technique of playing several instruments and also makes the audience admire his vocal performances.

                                                                                                            ANUSH BULGHADARYAN

IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF COLOURS AND REALITY

        The art of wall-painting has a centuries-old history in Armenia, and it's very laudable that the interior of the national opera and ballet building is decorated with that type of art. But that building is not an ordinary building for the inhabitants of Yerevan and for all the Armenians in general. There even exists a legend, according to which there was a temple there since pagan times, where a choir acted. So, the question of the above-mentioned wall-paintings was extremely important and responsible, it was an affair concerning everyone.

       The artist Hrachik Hakobyan is famous not only in the republic but out of its borders as well. Public got acquainted with the exhibitions of this really original artist in Russia, in Baltic countries, in France. And in Armenia works of "Handsome Hrachik" (so he was called by his close friends) are appreciated both by specialists and by the large art lovers' society. It was repeatedly written about Hrachik Hakobyan in the press, there was shot a film, and to our happiness, recently even an album of his works has been published. By the way, here it's surprisingly unnoticeable the hard period of the artist's creative life, when only his wife supported him, while being absorbed in the struggle solitude. This tenderness is not a particular case at all, but a period for the artist's creative process, in what consequences and atmosphere the art was being formed, which we admire today, and which we make a theme of discussion. After being closed, the exhibitions remain only in your memory or in the brochures of the paintings, films are being shown and pass, but one of the creative works by Hrachik Hakobyan always remains visible to us, as an example of his honest art, as a really permanent specimen of our values. We mean the foyer wall-paintings of the opera and ballet national theatre building. Everything began in 1978-79, when during the repair of the opera building, chief architect Ashot Aleksanyan suggested Hrachik Hakobyan to occupy himself with the wall-paintings. It was both a great honour, an experience, and an exclusive opportunity for the realization of goals. The huge responsibility gave rise to mutually incompatible and successive emotions of the artist: hesitation, self-criticism, enthusiasm and so on. And the work started first of all in the artist's soul. Mental imaginations drew many variants, analyses of various episodes and of the general. Before beginning his work, Hrachik Hakobyan studied the Armenian history, beginning from the period of Van ruling, once again he went deep into the Armenian national traditional stories, legends. He investigated the history of Armenian and Greek theatres. He was particularly attracted by the Greek, the Etruscan ones, till the Late Middle Ages, and carried out double investigations of the international art history. After all this, the main problem was the choice of the topic. Hrachik Hakobyan came to the conclusion that the heroes of the wall-paintings mustn't be specified, but had to carry in themselves appropriately generalized characters from pagan times to our days. Theatre, dance, types of musical art would be joined in them. And for realizing that summing up conclusion, the pedantic artist appeared in front of a serious task of solving technical problems. And again there were investigations and laborious searches, beginning from the oldest pages of monumental art, till observation of different techniques of mosaic and illustration, thorough investigations of national art and of European (fresco, sfumato and so on). To be truthful, we must mention that these investigations weren't carried out just for interest, but they were struggles, inspired with a scientific approach. Struggles, that were accompanied with the artist's creative enthusiasm, they together would give birth to the work, which at that moment the author considered to be the summit of his tasks, though it would hurt him very much, both physically and psychologically. The territory of Hrachik Hakobyan's studio wasn't large enough for making the sketches of the wall-painting. During the repair works of the opera building he was given an isolated place (a sewing workshop). In that tall building, there weren't even the most elementary conditions during the interior construction: under the draughts, walking up and down the stairs all the time, the artist, being already unhealthy, was just struggling for the realization of his work. But the main blow was waiting for him in advance. Everything should be affirmed by the ministry. Representatives of all the creative organizations were gathered together (unions of writers, journalists, architects, composers, painters) and many famous personalities of the republic. The discussion was going on with mutually incompatible opinions and references. Some of them even improperly noticed in a loud voice as "Who is Hrachik Hakobyan for such an important work after Saryan?" But those, who were skilful and considered art higher than their personage (Jim Torosyan, Eduard Isabekyan, Ghukas Chubaryan and others), approved of it and insisted that the presented work was worth the honour of being universal. The others, quite well-known personalities, rejected Hakobyan's choice of generalized plot, insisting that there was by all means portrayed a concrete hero in the wall-painting, as for example, Anoush or David-Bek. But Hrachik Hakobyan's point of view was unchangeable: the painting of the national opera building's interior couldn't be enclosed only with the concrete, it had to be global, the plot should pass the ornamental-pictorial frames from its simply narrative feature, and be generalized with its expressiveness. Finally, it was supported, and the desired but very complex work was started. The artist worked just on the sketches for three years (1978-1981) and quite free of charge. During that very hard period (both financial, physical and psypsychological) only his wife supported him: a painter, artist Vilena Mkrtchyan, whose consistent care towards the artist, professional sensible criticisms and estimations filled the artist with hope and energy. And after all this the artist's work was suddenly rejected, and everything would vanish into the air. It was a great blow for the artist, who was unspeakably depressed. Everywhere he was being haunted by an over-nervous situation. But it was already impossible for him to refuse from his star-ted work, from his cherished dreams, adopted persuasions and principles. In 1981 visiting Paris gave a new energy to the artist: he was again inspired there after seeing the wall-pain-tings of "Odeon" theatre by Andre Masson. Authorities of the theatre were already familiar to Hakobyan's sketches, afterwards, Masson's working materials had been sent to Yerevan. Though having been rejected, he didn't lose hope, just the contrary, the unrestrained desire for returning to his work filled the artist's heart, who was faithful to his art. Maybe having a premonition of his upcoming death, he was incessantly asking God to give him an opportunity to accomplish the wall-paintings with his new project. That overexertion and despondency, the utmost depressing situation weren't no longer overcome by his already sick organism, and in 1982 the artist got the second heart stroke, which put an end to the young artist's life. Hrachik Hakobyan's human nature was based on his firm character, on the warp of the irreversible struggle of his adopted principles. Nervous spasms, that everyone has during his struggle, were parallel with his paintbrush. Motives, selected by the artist, and the original handwriting of the painting, take us to the world of his convictions, which was maybe nourished by the rich layer of subconsciousness. Strictness and tenderness, firm line, solid composition, covered with fascination, stingy colours and a human kindness, coming from far away… We feel all this in his art. Even in Hrachik Hakobyan's works of non-concrete spiritual themes there exists the spiritual, his belief-conviction. "The Crucifixion" by Hakobyan, with the bishop Serovbe Manukyan's order and desire, should decorate the Armenian church, situated on Jean Goujon street of Paris. How much the artist endeavoured! How many attempts he made during that short period, from which the series "The Crucifixion" has remained today! The artist died, after several months the clergyman died as well, and the accomplished work stayed in the studio. Short and strict structures, not rich colours and spiritual mood: this kind of things are never done for the purpose of strengthening only the outward impression or the expressiveness. If there isn't a stable conviction, it's impossible to reach such a degree of influence, with which are full of Hakobyan's this and other works. And what kind of wall-paintings are those? Just in the concrete plot, the artist had been inspired by the old legends of Krete. There were painted groups of naked girls and boys. By the way, there were obvious here links of antique pottery-painting art. Young boys are playing with an eagle, with its wings wide open, and the naked girls - with the bull. It's shown the admiring expression of the bodies in an impetuous movement. Hrachya Hakobyan has reached the portraying of musical rhythm. The structure of the composition, with the arrangement of figures, flexible game of the lines, ensures the feeling of musical atmosphere. The strong link between separate components of the multi-figured scene, with their appropriate standpoints, and the general, form a strong system in the composition. And the illusory feeling, which radiates from the scene, unwillingly leads you to the ancient times, when during festivals, the pagan Armenian woman was moving tenderly, with history, passion, emotion compressed in it. While working on the sketches, Hrachik Hakobyan for a long time was looking for proper tipages, with various figures, with different proportiona-lities of the structures. He wasn't satisfied with making different variants even for the bull and the eagle. Even those various sketches, when taken separately, could be considered independent works, which were later exhibited in Leningrad, in the house of Painters, during an individual exhibition. On pedantic ways of his searches, in addition to diverse variations, there were very different variants accomplished, from the aspect of colour. And in each sketch (soil-coloured - brown, blue - scarlet, greenish), there exists the same atmosphere of hovering and tunefulness, with certain changes of positions, diversity of backgrounds. This composition reminds us of famous works "Dance" and "Music" by Matis, but with its approach, special logic and moving nature, it's however far from the certain roughness of wavering and preserves the quiet rhythm from expressionism. In fact, Hakobyan's this composition became not only a collective work, with its character expression, represented not only an artistic amalgamation, expressing different types of art, but however, preserved his own, and only his own, very often reminding with its ways of expression of approaches beginning from antique times till modern ones, both with its idea and performance. So unfortunately, the prematurely deceased artist didn't manage to realize his ideas in the building of opera with his own hands. After his death, after more than 20 years, that work was accomplished by Rouben Ayvazyan. We must remember him with gratitude, as well as Ashot Aleksanyan, with the efforts of which the work was accomplished. Today all of us see that magnificent composition, so we must also be aware of the ideas that the author had. It's very important: apart from seeing it, we must understand it accurately.

                                                                                                            ARMEN GASPARYAN
Art Critic Manager of the Armenian Painting Department of the Armenian National Gallery
                     
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