Amal Choucri Catta goes Yerevan Armenian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yerevan, presenting "Gayane" by Aram Khachaturian, conductor Karen Durgaryan, choreographer Hovhannes Divanyan, Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 15 April, 8pm; Sayed Darwish Theatre, Alexandria 18 April, 8pm. The music soared as the curtain rose to the colourful prospect of an Armenian village with lovely girls dancing in beautiful costumes, while Maestro Karen Durgaryan drove his orchestra to incredible heights of sound and percussions seemed to be shrieking their delight into the auditorium. That night, the Armenian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre was presenting Aram Khachaturian's three-act ballet "Gayane", to a full house: it was one of the sunniest choreographic creations, signed Hovhannes Divanyan, a leading professional ballet dancer in Armenia, who teaches at the Yerevan State Choreographic School and has performed in many countries. Combining classical ballet sur pointes with Armenian folk dances, he succeeded in creating an enchanting if rather unusual language of gesture and movement, with excellent solos, thrilling pas-de-deux and fascinating formations of the corps de ballet. Lights were low and the ambiance sentimental in romantic love scenes, while they became bright and played on vivid textures in sequences of joy and happiness. There were, however, moments of sorrow and sadness, when the entire scene turned dark and grey, while the performer was in a dramatic state of hopelessness and anguish. Such was the case with Giko who loved Gayane, but was not loved by her. As the story goes in this version, Gayane, a lovely village girl, loves Armen, a likewise lovely village boy. There is, however, a third party in the show: Giko. He is jealous, watching the happy couple and realising Gayane was never meant for him. He therefore decides to kidnap her, but Armen and the village people discover his whereabouts and Giko is compelled to leave the village. Emotionally, this is one of the most painful moments: it is, however, soon forgotten, for Gayane and Armen are married in Act Three with the entire corps de ballet celebrating the wedding. In this final act, the famous sabre dance gloriously concludes the performance, while the Maestro is granted a special ovation. It is generally accepted that the ballet's first and second versions of Perm in 1942 and Leningrad in 1952, were in four acts, and the plot took place during World War Two. In that version Giko was Gayane's husband and a traitor dealing with the enemy. Gayane and her lover Armen were against him and the entire plot seemed at the time to be a masterpiece of Armenian patriotism. After the war, however, the plot underwent certain changes while being successfully adapted to the new post-war situation. The music remained the same and the ballet was applauded wherever and whenever it was performed. At Cairo Opera's Main Hall, the audience cheered all performers, with extra bravos for the Maestro. Born in 1969 in Yerevan, Karen Durgaryan graduated in 1994: he had studied chamber music and was a flute soloist at the state conservatoire before turning to conducting. In 1995 he was appointed associate conductor and was resident conductor of the Yerevan Symphony Orchestra. Winning fame and public acclaim Durgaryan conducted a number of major concerts of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra with the celebrated Lebanese prima donna, Fairouz. Since March 2001 he has been principal conductor of the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre. At Cairo's Main Hall, his performance was spectacular. But so was Khachaturian's music. Aram Khachaturian, probably the most famous Armenian composer to this day, was born in Kodzhori, a suburb of Tiflis, on 6 June 1903 to a family of bookbinders. Though musically quite talented, he was 19 when he entered the Gniesin Musical School in Moscow in 1922, from 1929 to 1934 studying at the Moscow Conservatoire. He also worked with Serguey Prokofiev after the latter's definite return to Russia in 1933. By then, Khachaturian had written his famous "Toccata", the trio for piano, violin and clarinet, as well as a suite de danse, while simultaneously obtaining a degree in biology from the department of physics and mathematics at Moscow State University. Mainly influenced by Armenian folklore and traditional music, his works are particularly colourful. Written in 1934 for the 15th anniversary of the then Soviet Armenian Republic, his First Symphony is reminiscent of his endeavours for musical change, which he finally achieved in 1936 with his piano concerto dedicated to Lev Oborin, the famous Russian pianist. It is a brilliant composition filled with ethnic flavour, complex and expressive rhythms, audacious harmonies and marvellous orchestral hues. Lyricism and virtuosity are further expressed in his concerto for violin written in 1940 and dedicated to the renowned Russian David Oistrach, considered one of the greatest violinists of his day. It was, however, his two ballets "Gayane" and "Spartacus" that were acclaimed by Moscow critics as masterpieces, together with four orchestral suites for the international symphonic repertoire, and three orchestral suites from "Gayane". The author of some 50 works, Khachaturian began conducting in 1950, appearing in several countries with programmes of his own works. He was the first composer to place Armenian music in an international context: though his forms are Western-based, they are enriched with innovations influenced by the art of ashugh, the ornamental style of mediaeval monody and the purity of national idioms, as well as with peasant songs and urban instrumental folklore. During his lifetime, Khachaturian won international recognition: elected full member of the Armenian Soviet Republic's Academy of Sciences in 1963, honourary Academician of the Italian Music Academy "Santa Cecilia" in 1960, honourary professor of the Mexican Conservatoire and corresponding member of the Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic in 1960. He died on 1 May 1978 in Moscow and was buried in Yerevan. With one show in Cairo and another in Alexandria, the Gayane performances celebrated the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Egypt. Gayane being a most welcome newcomer to the Cairo Opera House, local audiences would have preferred a greater number of performances. Nevertheless, after Giko's sad retreat from the flamboyant village, Gayane's wedding was a smashing hit and the sabre dance a sensational feat.
