2 minute read
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS:The internationally acclaimed Armenian opera singer, Hasmik Papian, has presented today a CD in Yerevan with her fine soprano voice performing 35 songs by prominent Armenian composer Komitas, 26 in Armenian and nine in German. She said the idea to record these songs on a CD was to present these masterpieces of Armenian music to foreign audience. The German songs Komitas wrote when he was studying at Berlin Conservatory. Ms. Papian graduated from Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory first as a violinist, then as a singer. She has won many international competitions. After her debut at the Yerevan National Opera, she started a very successful career that brought her to the major lyric stages in the world, including La Scala de Milano, Metropolitan Opera of New York, Vienna State Opera, and Opera National de Paris (La Bastille). Among her most prestigious performances are Aida, La Traviata, Tosca, Norma, and Lisa in The Queen of Spades. At the same time, Hasmik Papian has dedicated herself to singing the ballads of the Armenian musicologist and composer Komitas, and she has studied and performed many works of contemporary Armenian composers such as Eduard Mirzoyan, Tigran Mansuryan, Vahram Babayan, and Avet Terteryan. Among her Armenian opera performances are the role of Olimpia in Tigran Chukhadjian’s Arshak II and the title role in Karine, the title role in Anoush by Armen Tigranian, and Nina Gribojedova-Chavchavadse in Edgar Hovannissian’s The Journey To Erzroum. Her concert repertory includes Aram Khachaturian’s Three Concert Arias. Ms. Papian has worked together with renowned conductors such as Ricardo Muti, Georges Pretre, Marcello Viotti, Valery Gergiev and Maestro Chung.