YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Very often an opinion is being voiced that the age of opera and ballet has already passed and the growing generation is not interested in it. To find out the real picture, Armenpress spoke with the director of the Al. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre Kamo Hovhannissyan.

- Mr Hovhannissyan, what kind of interest does exist in the Opera and Ballet Theatre today?

- Each century has its peculiar, firm forms of art loved by the people and during the past twenty years the Armenian people have been attracted by the easily perceived arts. Of course it is difficult to name them art. I prefer saying perceivable forms reaching to preference to restaurant music. But thank’s God the situation is controllable as there is big difference since 2006.

- There is a concrete mass visiting the opera theatre. Who are they?

- Yes, we have a clear mass visiting the theatre, but when young people come it is more pleasant to work. For bringing people here, we applied different measures, like organization of concerts that raised big interest among the audience. It already proves that the interest in these arts has increased.

- What steps are you going to undertake to attract school age children and young people?

- During each performance we invite more than 30 schoolchildren both from Yerevan and the provinces. We are also cooperating with the Yerevan City Hall as a result of which a number of schoolchildren come to see our performances. Students from Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinema, Teachers’ Training University, etc are also our expected guests.

- What problems do you see connected with the level of education of contemporary Armenian audience?

- I see no issues in our permanent audience. The problems are connected with the upbringing of the newly growing generation. I mean aesthetic upbringing. The solution of this issue is connected with time. I am an optimist in this issue.

- Which is our place in the world culture? What do we have to show the world?

- With “Aida”, “Spartak,” “Gayane” ballets we not once proved the whole world our right of existence. But we must not ignore the circumstance that we had great losses in this area and cannot be compared with other countries. It is agreed with a number of financial difficulties, issue of continuation of traditions that still must be solved. In separate cases we do not concede.