· Classical
Loris Tjeknavorian’s two-act opera “Rostam and Sohrab” took place at Yerevan Opera
The premiere of Loris Tjeknavorian’s two-act opera “Rostam and Sohrab” occurred at the A. Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. The Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan, along with Deputy Ministers Daniel Danielyan and Artur Martirosyan, attended the premiere. The Minister also met with maestro Loris Tjeknavorian and the artists of the performance to congratulate them on the premiere. Mehdi Sobhani, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia, was also present at the meeting.
“I have been in love with the story of Rostam and Sohrab since childhood. I have always wanted to write an opera, but I lacked the strength. I graduated from the Vienna Academy, returned to Persia, and began the project in 1961. Sixty-five years passed before the opera was staged. The idea originated 65 years ago, and it is being staged now, 65 years later. I wrote eight versions. When I started writing in Persia, I felt the need to present it to a great master. At that time, I considered going to Strasbourg to meet the renowned composer Carl Orff. When I met him, he listened to several excerpts from the opera and suggested that I stay in Strasbourg to finish it. I was a student, so I couldn’t stay, but he told me that the expenses for a year in Strasbourg had been covered. He said, “Go, sit and write the opera.” It’s amazing, isn’t it? It was a challenging opera. I have performed the concert version several times in Vienna, England, Mexico, and Armenia, but it has never been staged. I am happy that it is being performed now,” maestro Loris Tjeknavorian said about the creation of the opera.
“I have been in love with the story of Rostam and Sohrab since childhood. I have always wanted to write an opera, but I lacked the strength. I graduated from the Vienna Academy, returned to Persia, and began the project in 1961. Sixty-five years passed before the opera was staged. The idea originated 65 years ago, and it is being staged now, 65 years later. I wrote eight versions. When I started writing in Persia, I felt the need to present it to a great master. At that time, I considered going to Strasbourg to meet the renowned composer Carl Orff. When I met him, he listened to several excerpts from the opera and suggested that I stay in Strasbourg to finish it. I was a student, so I couldn’t stay, but he told me that the expenses for a year in Strasbourg had been covered. He said, “Go, sit and write the opera.” It’s amazing, isn’t it? It was a challenging opera. I have performed the concert version several times in Vienna, England, Mexico, and Armenia, but it has never been staged. I am happy that it is being performed now,” maestro Loris Tjeknavorian said about the creation of the opera.
