Yerevan Sums Up Cultural Year 2007

By Zarouhi Shoushanian

For Armenia, 2007 was filled with cultural events, international festivals, cultural days between friendly countries and a number of interesting recreational events.

Turning Yerevan into a large stage for arts and culture were the pastel colors of French paintings from January to March, the masterpieces of European filmmakers from March to May, the summer gloss of the Golden Apricot Film Festival, the golden autumn with the cultural days of “France in Armenia,” the fireworks, laser show, the Dancing Fountains, and finally an exhibition of Armenia’s religious artifacts.

“In 2007, we tried to implement cultural programs of universal importance by focusing on multinational cooperation and the preservation of high culture,” said Armenia’s Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan.

On Jan. 22, the opening ceremony of the “Year of Armenia in Russia” took place in Kremlin Hall. The “Treasures of St. Etchmiadzin” exhibition was kicked off in the framework of this event in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

As the “Year of Armenia in France” began early this year, the organizers of this large-scale event did their best to present the centuries-old Armenian culture to France and its visitors. Thousands of people from around the world that had come to the cultural center of Europe saw masterpieces of Armenian architecture and painting, and listened to the ravishing music of Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian and other great Armenian composers. For the first time, Europe also had the chance to discover the religious heritage of the biblical land of Armenia, when Armenian cultural and religious artifacts, holy gospels and manuscripts were moved from Etchmiadzin and the Matenadaran in Yerevan to the Louvre Museum in Paris, reminding the world that Armenia was the cradle of Christian culture.

The exhibition presented the history of Armenian religion from the adoption of Christianity in 301 A.D. to the 19th century. Titled “Armenia Sacra” (or Holy Armenia), it soon became the highlight of the “Year of Armenia in France” and one of the most attended exhibitions of 2007.

The youth were also actively involved in the cultural life of Armenia this year. The Second Youth “Armenia is My Homeland” Festival opened in June, and young photographers, designers, folk and pop singers, composers and film directors were able to showcase their talent and creations for four months. The best artists were awarded medals during the official closing ceremony of the festival held in Yerevan on Nov. 10.

The Golden Apricot 4th Yerevan International Film Festival was held from July 9 to 14 in the Moscow Cinema in Yerevan. Before the official opening, the traditional blessing of apricots took place at Charles Aznavour Square, near the Moscow Cinema. About 340 participants from 53 different countries were included in this year’s festival. The ceremony kicked off with a surprise award: the Tonino Guerra Fund awarded Harutyun Khachatryan, film director, and founder and president of the festival, with the Amarcord Medal. The world-famous filmmaker Tonino Guerra was not able to participate in the ceremony, but he did visit Armenia in the fall and gave an exhibition at the State Picture Gallery of Armenia.

The Fourth Delphian Games of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) were launched in Armenia in September, with the stated mission of developing cultural cooperation among the CIS and its youth.

After renovation, the “Dancing Fountains” opened on Independence Day, Sept. 21, in the Republican Square of Armenia. For two hours, the square was flooded with colored lights and laser flowers, accompanied by Armenian and European classical and pop music. To organize this grandiose show, 87 pumps were installed in the pool in front of the National Gallery. Every night, except on Monday, the fountains turned the Republican Square into a fairy tale kingdom. The Gohar Building Company and the French Aqua Show Organization joined efforts to reconstruct the Dancing Fountains, and the Municipality of Yerevan allocated 129 million drams ($370,000) for the event.

Lovers of classical music had a unique opportunity to enjoy performances by virtuoso musicians when the Moravian Autumn Festival began on Sept. 28. Armenia’s State Philharmonic Orchestra and the Serenade Choir toured the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany; concerts were held in Prague, Bratislava and Nuremberg. The 45th annual Moravian Autumn Festival was dedicated to the music of the three composers whose anniversaries were marked this year: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (who was born 250 years ago in 1756), Robert Schumann (who died 150 years ago in 1856) and Dmitry Shostakovich (who was born 100 years ago in 1906).

The “Armenia Sacra” Return Home exhibition opened on Sept. 11 at the State History Museum of Armenia, within the framework of the “Year of Armenia in France.” Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian, All-Armenian Catholicos Karekin II, as well as high-ranking officials, historians and art lovers from all over the world attended the opening ceremony. The organizers of “Armenia Sacra” succeeded in maintaining the style and stenographic peculiarities of the Louvre exhibition. The birth of Christianity, the Apostolic mission in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the adoption of Christianity as a state religion in 301, and the discovery of Armenian letters—in brief, early Christian culture—is exhibited in a separate hall.

Legendary Italian screenwriter, dramatist, painter and sculptor Tonino Guerra, and his wife Lora Guerra, arrived in Yerevan on Oct. 7. The National Gallery of Armenia organized cultural days of Tonino Guerra and His Friends. An exhibition of Tonino Guerra’s works opened the same day at the National Gallery. Retrospective films, exhibitions and meetings with Tonino Guerra and His Friends were held from Oct. 7 to 28.

Contemporary French artists were in Armenia from September to November to participate in the “Chalcographers of Louvre” exhibition at the State Gallery. Another event within the framework of the “Year of France in Armenia” was French painter Georges Braque’s exhibition in Yerevan. The exhibitions “Photo Paris” and “Light on France” were the highlights of these events dedicated to French art.

Lovers of French films also had an opportunity to watch the masterpieces of modern French cinema at Moscow Cinema from Oct. 5 to 26. Again within the framework of the “Year of France in Armenia,” documentaries on the Armenian genocide were shown at the Nairi Cinema in Yerevan from October to November, while Armenian art lovers had the chance to become closely acquainted with the biography and films of Francois Truffaut.

Further to the Armenian-Italian agreement on cultural cooperation signed in 2003, the Francesca Silva modern ballet group performed at the Alexander Spendiarian Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre on Oct. 13.

To develop Armenian-Syrian cooperation and strengthen ties between friendly nations, Armenia received the Chamber Orchestra of the Damask Higher Musical Institute. The virtuoso musicians gave concerts in Yerevan, Gyumri, Yeghegnadzor and the Garni Temple.

October was rich with roundtable discussions and seminars on music library activities. On Oct. 14, a discussion on the innovations and international experience of libraries was organized in the Khnko Aper Sate Children’s Library in Yerevan. President of the International Music Libraries Massimo Hentel-Tedel, along with Armenian writers, publishers and librarians discussed the prospects of modern libraries and publishing houses.

A series of cultural events dedicated to the jubilees of renowned Armenian and foreign artists and painters were organized in Yerevan in late fall.

At the exhibition dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the great Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, Armenians had an opportunity to see their favorite writer’s original novels and become closely acquainted with his biography at the State Library of Armenia.

In November, the State Gallery of Armenia organized an exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Armenian painter Grigor Khanjian. The organizers of the event gathered Khanjian’s unique illustrations of Armenian writers Khachatur Abovian, Hovhannes Tumanian and Gevorg Emin, as well as his graphic paintings.

On Dec. 1, connoisseurs of oriental art had an opportunity to see four-centuries-old gravures created by the masters of the Japanese Utagava School when 127 exhibits were brought from Japan to the State Gallery.

Also on Dec. 1, the Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir of Armenia performed in Moscow and St. Petersburg as part of the “Year of Armenia in Russia.”

Another cultural event held in St. Petersburg on Dec. 2 was an exhibition of Armenian culture in Hermitage. Later that day, during the official closing ceremony of the “Year of Armenia in Russia,” a gala concert was held in St. Petersburg with the participation of renowned Armenian and Russian musicians, orchestras and artists.

Together with the Naregatsi Art Institute (NAI), the Gamar Art Foundation organized a festival of traditional, classical and avant-garde art from Nov. 26 to Dec. 5. Concerts were held at the Komitas Chamber Hall and the NAI, while the work of young artists was auctioned off. Special events were also organized during the UN’s International Day of the Disabled on Dec. 3. The purpose of the festival is to promote talented young artists and help them enter the international arena, as well as to introduce Armenian classical, avant-garde and traditional art to the world.

On Dec. 3, the Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and Armenian musicians participated in the St. Petersburg’s Palates International Music Festival.

On Dec. 7, the Komitas Chamber Music House held a concert in memory of the victims of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia.

On Dec. 15, the State Gallery launched an exhibition of Russian avant-garde art, including the masterpieces of Kandinsky, Chagall, Larionov, Goncharova and other contemporary painters.

Also in 2007, Armenia’s National Picture Gallery marked its 85th anniversary. Paravon Mirzoyan, chief director of the gallery, said a special exhibition of all the paintings, which have been restored in the past two years, was scheduled for next autumn. Special halls were opened and dedicated to displaying Chinese and Japanese decorative arts. The gallery will also publish an illustrated book about its cultural pearls, said Mirzoyan. The gallery this year has had over 65,000 visitors this year alone.