Armenia’s philharmonic orchestra plays concerts in semi-empty halls - conductor

The Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra’s conductor said Tuesday that their concerts often see semi-empty halls despite the predominance of Armenian music in the repertoires.

“It wouldn’t be right to say that we engage in a propaganda of composers, but we have to take care of them. That’s not a problem only for the philharmonic [orchestra],” Edward Topchyan told reporters.

“If we perform more concerts of the kind and direct the expenses only to that without deducing the money for posters … well, this is an age of commerce. We again perform our duty; I just want to understand what part of our population is interested in the great composers.”

The conductor said they are going to raise the problem at the Composers’ Union too.

“I rule out the possibility of having an audience smaller than the orchestra when we perform Armenian music. Who do we do it for? They don’t often want to listen to Armenian composers at guest concerts either. We are not yet as powerful as the Vienna orchestra to dictate our will to everybody. The world’s biggest orchestra can afford that, but only partially. We must mind what country we go and what music their audience likes to listen to,” he said, adding that the orchestra tries nonetheless to familiarize the foreign audience with the Armenian music.

Hovhannes Chekijyan, a merited Armenian conductor and art director also attending the news conference, agreed to the opinion, noting at the same time that anyone making such a demand should have the right to do so.

“As long as they don’t come to listen to the Armenian composers, they don’t have the right to demand that we play. It’s just assuming airs. We never give up our composers. After applauses for Bethoven’s No 9 Symphony abroad, for example, I perform Komitas, which is something new to the Europeans and the Americans. And they admire it. But I often omit the word Komitas from the poster because people do not know him so you won’t attract an audience that way,” he added.

The maestro said it is the sacred duty of each musician today to introduce the Armenian music abroad, in the meantime not forgetting about foreign composers.