Author: Alex Jidarian

Armenian TV debate highlights concerns over Karabakh talks

Alex Jidarian
Public Television of Armenia
Feb 3 2019
Armenian TV debate highlights concerns over Karabakh talks

[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Armenian]

Armenian Public TV hosted a debate on 3 February on the recent statements about the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan preparing their nations for peace as part of peace talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, who mediate work towards a peaceful settlement to the Karabakh conflict, and the UN Secretary General, came up with similar statements after a meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Paris on 16 January.

During the debate on 3 February, presenter Petros Ghazaryan said that peace is good but it should be “mutual” and there should be a consensus between the conflicting parties.

Ghazaryan wondered why Armenian should get ready for peace “if the opponent is going to attack us”.

Calls for peace ‘not new’

Ruben Rubinyan, the head of the parliament’s standing committee on foreign relations of the ruling My Step bloc, insisted that calls for peace were not new, and had been repeatedly voiced since 2006.

He reiterated the new government’s position that no decision will be taken on Karabakh without the agreement of the Armenian and Karabakh people. The MP also underscored that the option of “peace for territories” has not and must not be discussed in Armenia unless the issue of the recognition of the Karabakh people’s right for self-determination is discussed in Azerbaijan.

“It has been stated that there is no document or list of provisions on the table of negotiations now. No scenario is being discussed at the moment,” Rubinyan said.

He called on all political forces to avoid “seeding unfounded doubts” or “inspiring defeatist fears”.

No clear-cut strategy on Karabakh

Pundit Hakob Badalyan noted that the international calls for peace are an indication that no peace agreement is on the table.

He also stated that the Armenian public is concerned about the state of the talks because, for the last 25 years, Armenians had been made to believe that they must be “the first one to cede” in the Karabakh conflict settlement.

Propaganda of hatred

The pundit added that the two countries’ view of the conflict is radically different. In Armenia, the Karabakh issue is seen as a matter for the country’s leadership to solve, Badalyan noted.

But in Azerbaijan, he said, it is seen as a matter of state identity. He said that the main problem is that the Armenian public has assumed a passive stance, and suspects every succeeding government of ceding territories.

Badalyan said it is wrong for Armenia to assume an “obedient constructive stance” in front of the international community – and it is wrong for society to think that it is what they expect from Armenia.

The pundit added that the issue to focus on is not whether or not Armenia should adopt a policy of hatred towards Azerbaijanis. “The problem we have is to formulate our state strategy,” Badalyan said.

Opponent or enemy

Gegham Manukyan, the head of the news department of Yerkir Media TV affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun, pointed out that surveys have shown Armenian society is more tolerant.

“What do we call Azerbaijan on TV? We call it our opponent, do we not? All the TV stations have called it our opponent for years and even during the [2016] April war. Watch any TV channel in Azerbaijan, they call [Armenia] dusman [enemy in Azeri]. They do not say opponent, they say enemy,” Manukyan said.

He argued that Armenia needs to be “intolerant”.

“I do not speak about total militarisation but the Armenian society should be psychologically ready for what happened in April [2016]. Society must be as ready as the [soldiers on the] frontline so that the connection between the society and the frontline does not break up,” Manukyan said.

But MP Rubinyan argued that Armenia is not a militant society.

“Unlike Azerbaijan, we are not militant, we do not hate anyone but at the same time, we, our society, our armed forces will simply destroy the enemy, if, at any moment, there is any encroachment on the borders of the Republic of Armenia or Republic of Artsakh [Karavakh]. And no context of peace preparation can neutralise this,” he said.

Armenia to continue consistently developing friendly partnership with US

Alex Jidarian

Armenia to continue consistently developing friendly partnership with US

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15:29, 6 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will continue taking actions to consistently develop the friendly partnership with the United States, the Armenian government’s draft Action Plan, released today, says, reports Armenpress.

According to the draft, the government is inclined to deepen the partnership with the US aimed at assisting Armenia’s development and reforms agenda and expanding the dialogue for regional stability.

The government will deepen the friendly relations and will expand the partnership with the European Union, its member states and other European countries. The draft says the implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is considered as a significant factor contributing to the government’s reforms agenda aimed at the development of Armenia.

The government will continue taking steps to ensure the EU visa liberalization for the Armenian citizens.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Putin signs decree abolishing some special economic measures against Turkey

Alex Jidarian

Putin signs decree abolishing some special economic measures against Turkey

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17:39, 6 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on abolishing several special economic measures against Turkey, TASS reports.

The document is posted in the official online portal of legal information.

According to the decree, a larger number of Turkish citizens have been released from the restrictive measures imposed on their country in November 2015.

The restrictions are no longer applied to the following groups of Turkish citizens traveling to Russia: drivers involved in international road haulage, holders of valid special passports, who go to Russia for short-term business trips, including workers of the Turkish diplomatic mission in Russia.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




A Dutch Protestant church ends 24/7 service protecting Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation – Government will review the decision

Alex Jidarian

A Dutch Protestant church ends 24/7 service protecting Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation – Government will review the decision

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19:10,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. A Dutch Protestant church has ended a non-stop service that started in October to protect a family of Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation after the government announced changes to its immigration policy, ARMENPRESS reports, citing The New York Times.

The Bethel Church, a small chapel in a Hague residential neighborhood, announced the end of the 24-7 service Wednesday, a day after the Dutch ruling coalition announced it will review hundreds of asylum applications by children that previously were rejected.

Church official Theo Hettema said in a statement that “we are incredibly grateful for a safe future in the Netherlands for hundreds of refugee families.”

The round-the-clock church service began Oct. 26 to protect the Tamrazyan family — parents, their two daughters and a son. Dutch law prohibits authorities from entering a church building while a service is underway.

NK conflict must be settled exclusively peacefully, reiterates Armenia

Alex Jidarian

NK conflict must be settled exclusively peacefully, reiterates Armenia

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17:38,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Armenia has not changed its stance in the NK conflict settlement issue – according to FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan the issue must be resolved exclusively peacefully.

The FM made the remarks during a joint news conference today with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn.

“The decider of Nagorno Karabakh’s status are the NK people. We have resolve to defend both Nagorno Karabakh, and Armenia. We know our capabilities, but we want to settle this process in a peaceful way,” Mnatsakanyan said.

Asked on the possibility of meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart during the upcoming Munich Security Conference, or whether PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev might meet at the event, the FM said that nothing is yet decided neither on this issue nor on Pashinyan’s participation at the conference.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Book: Words from the heart – "Abdullatif the Armenian"

Alex Jidarian
Arab Times, Kuwait
January 17, 2019 Thursday

Words from the heart

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

George Salama gave the following speech at the Armenian school on the occasion of the publication of the novel Abdullatif the Armenian: ‘A voice that rings in my ears and a call that touches my heart and my soul, a voice that triumphs for truth, a voice that broke the chains, it is your voice dear guest Ahmad Al-Sarraf, the voice we always like to hear.

‘I will not talk to you as a guest, you are one of the people of the house, and I say to you with all sincerity, you are always most welcome. I am fortunate to have read some of the articles you have written, and the novel Abdullatif the Armenian which reflects human sense and courage that does not care about the limits and barriers, and the literary courage that we desperately need.

‘I said to myself: If our nation has many writers who knew the true message of literature, we would be the best nation. You have chosen the literary honesty in what you wrote, and your novel and your articles have the taste that our souls are thirsty for. What is the value of literature that does not speak the truth, or does not revolt against injustice and corruption, dishonesty and suffering? We want to live for the present and refuse to follow those who say we build as our forefathers built and do as they did.

‘We wish the people who write to be as truthful as you are, to see the reality with your eyes, your heart and your mind, and allow me, Sir, to tell you about my impressions of this novel. I apologize to you first. I did not come as a critic but as a beneficiary. I read a lot about the tragedy of the Armenians based on my experience and work with them for more than thirty years, but your novel has had the greatest impact. You caught the artistic threads of the story, and brought the affecting facts with all the truth and realism, and made your readers live amidst these events and details otherwise the novel would not have this special taste.

‘You have proficiently described the injustice inflicted on a peaceful people who were uprooted from their lands and homes and thrown away into the unknown. A ten-year-old girl taken from her family away to the point of loss, and described it all in a real influential realistic language, yet you did not fall in the shafts of preaching and guidance but you left the characters to carry the noble goal that you drew and expressed in a way that shows knowledge of the art of fiction, and left the events going naturally and flow like a stream. The elements of entanglement and suspense were influential enough to get the attraction of the reader to the end.

The language was simple and suitable for the characters, it was neither lofty nor slang, a language that does not tire the reader but rather to follow events. ‘Sir: From the hills of Armenia I give you three apples and a bouquet of roses, and I say to the children of the Armenian community: ‘Open your homes and hearts to this novel’.’

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 01/15/2019

Alex Jidarian 
                                        Tuesday, 
Pashinian Decries ‘Media Campaign Against Government’
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters through Facebook, 
.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian accused Armenian media on Tuesday of 
systematically trying to discredit him and his government at the behest of the 
country’s former leaders.
Pashinian claimed that many media outlets are keen to make Armenians believe 
that the current authorities are no different from former President Serzh 
Sarkisian’s “corrupt” administration and Republican Party (HHK). He seemed to 
blame Sarkisian and another former president, Robert Kocharian, for the 
“propaganda campaign waged against my family and my political team.”
“Ninety percent of the media scene [in Armenia] is controlled either by the two 
entities representing the former authorities or [other] forces opposed to us … 
Most media outlets controlled by forces opposed to us are in the hands of 
representatives of the former regime,” Pashinian said in a live Facebook 
transmission.
“Why is this important?” he went on. “For the simple reason that the following 
process is now underway in the media scene: representatives of the former 
regime … are trying to ‘republicanize’ our government and say that there is no 
difference, that this government is the same as the Republican one was.”
Pashinian insisted that his government is fundamentally different from the 
previous authorities first and foremost because it “does not plunder the people 
and the state.” “This is the kind of change which we had dreamed about for many 
years,” he said.
The prime minister did not name any media outlets involved in the alleged smear 
campaign. He said only that they frequently show his, his family members’ and 
political allies’ private lives in a bad light.
On Sunday, Pashinian took to Facebook to lambaste a scathing newspaper report 
about a restaurant dinner organized by him for around 90 newly elected members 
of Armenia’s parliament representing his My Step alliance.
“Hraparak,” a Yerevan daily critical of both the current and former 
governments, drew parallels between the My Step get-together and Republican 
leaders’ notorious love of lavish parties.
Pashinian charged that the paper is “nostalgic about the corrupt Republican 
regime.” The “Hraparak” editor, Armine Ohanian, dismissed the criticism.
Ohanian Denies Coup Charges
Armenia - Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian (R) and chief of the Armenian army 
staff, General Yuri Khachaturov, at a meeting in Yerevan, 28May2015.
Former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian on Tuesday angrily denied coup charges 
brought against him as part of a criminal investigation into the 2008 
post-election unrest in Armenia.
Ohanian also deplored the same accusations of “overthrow of the constitutional 
order” that have been leveled against two other retired army generals, Mikael 
Harutiunian and Yuri Khachaturov, as well as former President Robert Kocharian.
Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) claims that the four men 
illegally used the armed forces against opposition supporters who demonstrated 
in Yerevan against alleged electoral fraud. It says Kocharian ordered troops 
into the Armenian capital before declaring a state of emergency late on March 
1, 2008 amid deadly clashes between security forces and opposition protesters. 
Eight protesters and two police servicemen died in what was the worst street 
violence in the country’s history.
Harutiunian, who now lives in Russia, served as defense minister while Ohanian 
was the chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff at the time. The latter 
replaced Harutiunian as defense minister in April 2008.
Ohanian rejected the accusations as “baseless.” “Justice cannot be administered 
on order or under the influence of the street,” he wrote on Facebook.
The former minister also posted audio of this summer’s secretly recorded phone 
conversations between the SIS chief, Sasun Khachatrian, and Artur Vanetsian, 
the National Security Service (NSS) director. He said it shows that the ongoing 
investigation is not objective and fair.
In that audio, Vanetsian can be heard saying that he told a Yerevan judge to 
sanction Kocharian’s arrest in July. The NSS chief claims that it was doctored 
and that he never put pressure on the judge.
Ohanian also said that on December 20 law-enforcement authorities “illegally” 
restricted his freedom of movement without any explanation. He did not specify 
whether they prevented him from leaving the country.
“Do those trampling the constitution under foot have a right to administer 
justice against the colonel-generals, the [former] president and others who 
have made considerable contributions to the security of Armenia and Artsakh 
(Nagorno-Karabakh)?” said Ohanian.
The Karabakh-born general challenged Armenia’s former government after being 
sacked as defense minister in October 2016. He teamed up with two opposition 
politicians, Vartan Oskanian and Raffi Hovannisian, to run in parliamentary 
elections held in April 2017. Their ORO bloc failed to win any seats in 
Armenia’s parliament.
Unlike Kocharian, Ohanian and Khachaturov have not been placed under pre-trial 
arrest.
Parliament Majority Denounced For Backing Tsarukian Ally
        • Astghik Bedevian
        • Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia -- Newly elected speaker Ararat Mirzoyan (second from left) and his 
deputies Vahe Enfiajian (right), Alen Simonian (second from right) and Lena 
Nazarian at a parliament session in Yerevan, .
The opposition Bright Armenia party condemned the pro-government majority in 
the National Assembly on Tuesday for not electing one of its leaders as a 
deputy speaker of the parliament.
Deputies representing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance voted 
instead for a senior lawmaker from businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous 
Armenia Party (BHK).
The Armenian constitution reserves one of the three posts of vice-speaker for a 
representative of the parliamentary opposition. Pashinian and his associates 
made clear last week that My Step will back the BHK candidate for the post, 
Vahe Enfiajian. They argued that the BHK is the second largest parliamentary 
force that controls 26 seats in the 132-member legislature, compared with 18 
seats held by Bright Armenia.
Bright Armenia leaders dismissed that explanation, saying that the constitution 
says nothing about the size of an opposition faction nominating a vice-speaker. 
They hoped that many My Step deputies will back their party’s candidate, Mane 
Tandilian, in Tuesday’s parliament vote.
The parliament majority remained unconvinced, however. Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan 
said it will “respect” the results of the December 9 parliamentary elections in 
which the BHK finished a distant second.
Accordingly, only 19 parliamentarians voted for Tandilian, who served as labor 
minister in Pashinian’s cabinet until last month. The BHK’s Enfiajian was 
elected vice-speaker with 108 votes.
Edmon Marukian, Bright Armenia’s top leader described the vote results as 
“disgraceful.”
Armenia - Mane Tandilian (C) and other election candidates of the Bright 
Armenia party campaign in Yerevan, November 26, 2018.
Also, Marukian hit out at the BHK during a debate that preceded the vote, 
prompting Tsarukian’s first-ever speech on the parliament floor.
“As long as we are not insulted or attacked we won’t say anything to anyone. 
But if someone tries to insult us I will respond to that with documents and 
video materials,” said the BHK leader.
Bright Armenia and the BHK traded bitter accusations following the December 
elections. In particular, Marukian said that Tsarukian should leave the 
political arena because of his extensive business interests. The tycoon has 
held a parliament seat for nearly 16 years but has rarely attended parliament 
sessions.
The two other newly elected vice-speakers, Lena Nazarian and Alen Simonian, are 
senior members of Pashinian’s bloc who actively participated in last spring’s 
“velvet revolution.”
Despite the controversy, the three factions reached consensus on who will chair 
the new parliament’s 11 standing committees. Mirzoyan announced that eight of 
them, including the committees on foreign relations, defense and economy, will 
be headed by My Step lawmakers.
BHK representatives will run two other panels, while the remaining post of 
committee chairperson was given to Bright Armenia.
Press Review
“Zhamanak” suggests that President Armen Sarkissian’s welcoming address to the 
new National Assembly was the most “memorable” episode of its inaugural session 
held on Monday. “What is more, Sarkissian set a high political bar for the work 
of the parliament with which one could measure the extent of the political 
content and the capacity of the parliament,” writes the paper. It also singles 
out Sarkissian’s remark that Armenians are a “global nation” despite the small 
size of their state.
“Many have started discussing personal merits and shortcomings of the National 
Assembly speaker and his deputies but that is a secondary issue,” writes 
“Aravot.” “It doesn’t matter who was elected speaker of the National Assembly. 
What matters is that the parliament speaker, let along the deputy speakers, 
have long stopped deciding anything. Public expectations are not from [speaker] 
Ararat Mirzoyan or [his deputy] Vahe Enfiajian or any minister or regional 
governor but only from Nikol Pashinian. And the majority of our citizens expect 
that the prime minister will make some miracles within several months.” The 
paper believes that opposition parties and civic groups could and should strive 
to change these public attitudes.
“Zhoghovurd” reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to 
congratulate Pashinian on being reappointed as prime minister on Monday. The 
paper says this fact is “noteworthy” given Putin’s failure to congratulate 
Pashinian on his My Step bloc’s victory in the December 9 parliamentary 
elections, which fuelled talk of Moscow’s discontent with the current Armenian 
leadership. It seems to suggest the Russian president’s congratulatory letter 
disproved that speculation.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

The Literary Armenian News – 12/31/2018

Alex Jidarian
Dear Armenian News readers,
The homepage for The Literary Armenian News is at: Armenian News.org/tlg/
ANN/Armenian News postings are for Armenian News’s audience only. Redistribution of
Armenian News postings to any other media require  prior written consent from
Armenian News’s Administrator.
No statements made in this column are to be construed as recommended
by Armenian News’s Administation or by USC. Nor does Armenian News’s Administration
or USC endorse the contents, opinions or information presented in this
column.
***************************************************************************
My Lord
 
If I try to express the feelings of my heart and hope to you with words,
An essay of meaningless and incomprehensible explanations will be heard.
 
If I believe that you hear what my eyes are saying, or understand something from your glances 
Eternal waiting will be lost with the accumulation of wasted credits.
 
Forgive me that I cannot tell this truth to anyone
and thus I continue my life only by deceiving myself.
 
I will continue to work, trying to be useful as needed 
To keep the focus on the side of goodness with pure morality
 
Only I know that every day of mine starts with you
Each of my evenings will be dark with you and will pass into a deep sleep.
 
2018/10/31
George Galajjian
***************************************************************************
Dr. Bedros Afeyan ([email protected]) is the editor of The Literary
Armenian News (TLG), and will consider works not only of poetry, but also in
the area of short fiction. Quality of language, excellence of
translation, quality of song and images are all crucial to the
aesthetic value of any work up for consideration.
Please note the following important guidelines:
  • All submissions to TLG MUST be sent to Armenian [email protected] and [email protected]. No others will be considered.
  • With your submission include a short bio about the author;
  • Submissions may not be anonymous, but at the author’s request we may use their pen-name and/or withhold their Email address for purposes of privacy;
  • Submissions which have not yet been selected will continue to receive consideration for following issues;
  • In art, selection is necessarily a judgement call. As such, we will not argue why a particular submission was or was not selected;
  • Posting time for TLG is currently on Saturdays;
  • There is no guarantee or promise that a submission will be published.
*******************************************************************
    The Critical Corner
    The Literary Armenian News
    Review & Outlook
    Probing the Photographic Record
    Armenia House Museums
    …and much more
? Copyright 2018,  Armenian News Network / Armenian News, all rights reserved.
Regards,
—
Armenian News Network / Armenian News
Los Angeles, CA     / USA

Varduhi Abrahamyan, mezzosoprano: "Nada me gusta más que sentir lo que sienten mis personajes"

Alex Jidarian
Platea Magazine, España
22 dic 2018

Varduhi Abrahamyan, mezzosoprano: “Nada me gusta más que sentir lo que sienten mis personajes”

Detalles
Escrito por Antoni Colomer

Varduhi Abrahamyan está llamada a ser una de las grandes mezzosopranos de su generación. Lo tiene todo para ello: inteligencia, musicalidad, una voz privilegiada de tintes oscuros, amplia y dúctil, bien proyectada, sostenida por una técnica vocal que, de tan perfecta, es imperceptible. En ella, el canto fluye con una naturalidad poco habitual. Y lo que es aún más sorprendente es que lo hace en cualquier tipo de repertorio. Desde Monteverdi a Giuseppe Verdi.

Aunque nació en Armenia, los inicios de su carrera se desarrollaron en Francia.

Mi padre era tenor profesional y mi hermana es soprano. Es la profesión familiar. Yo no quería cantar ópera, quería cantar música pop. Pero un día la maestra de canto de mi hermana me escuchó y me aconsejó tomar este camino al comprobar que mi voz tenía muchas posibilidades. Decidí ir al conservatorio, a cantar ópera y fue como una droga. Estudié en Armenia durante siete años y luego decidí trasladarme a Francia para seguir formándome y me matriculé en el conservatorio de Marsella. Aunque no fue fácil al principio, ahí empecé a centrar mi carrera. Francia me ha abierto todas las puertas. Estoy muy agradecida. Amo Francia como amo Armenia. Mi primer contrato fue en la Ópera de París, con Maddalena, de Rigoletto y sigo muy vinculada a ese teatro.

Pero ahora pasará una buena temporada en España. Tres títulos consecutivos en ciudades distintas.

Sí, y con tres papeles muy distintos. Ya he cantado en Valencia Fenena en Nabucco, Adalgisa en Norma y Dalila con intérpretes como Devia, Kunde o Plácido Domingo, que en esta ocasión era el director musical de Samson et Dalila coincidiendo con su aniversario. Y ahora por fin Barcelona, que era uno de los teatros donde me hacía más ilusión debutar. Hay teatros donde todos los artistas desean actuar y uno de ellos es el Liceu. Luego debutaré en Oviedo donde haré Carmen en una producción que no es nueva, pero si para mí, y luego vendrá un debut importante, la Eboli, de Don Carlo, en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He hecho algunos papeles de Verdi: Miss Quickly en Falstaff o Fenena en Nabucco, pero Eboli… es todo un reto.

Y también es todo un reto combinar en tres meses repertorios y estilos tan distintos.

A mí me gusta esta variedad de repertorio, aunque siempre quiero hacer un Rossini al año. Se adapta muy bien a mi voz y me da flexibilidad. Pero me puedo permitir hacer otros repertorios y me gusta hacerlos. La técnica vocal, al fin y al cabo, es la misma, solo hay que adaptarse al estilo. No es fácil pasar de Isabella a Eboli o Carmen, pero se puede hacer con una buena base técnica y sin forzar. Nunca forzar.

Con L’italiana in Algeri tendrá su primer encuentro, esperemos que primero de muchos, con el público barcelonés. Un personaje de carácter, el de Isabella, que parece encajar perfectamente con sus características vocales y su personalidad.

L’taliana ya la he hecho en Paris, precisamente con Riccardo Frizza. Isabella me parece un personaje muy inteligente. Es una mujer rápida y audaz para salir airosa de situaciones complicadas. Es un carácter con muchos matices, muy variado y por tanto necesita de muchos cambios de color, y eso me encanta. Como en Cruda sorte, la primera aria, donde ya se percibe su personalidad y su capacidad de decisión. Esta producción del Liceu es nueva para mí. He hecho Isabella en París, en una producción moderna. La del Liceu es más clásica, pero me gustan mucho ambas. En referencia a la de Barcelona ¡Me divierto tanto haciéndola! Me entiendo muy bien con Vittorio Borrelli, el director de escena, con el maestro Frizza y con el reparto entero. Es extraordinario. Lo pasamos muy bien. Todos entramos en el juego. Y en escena, encuentras respuesta a cualquier cosa que hagas. Son grandes actores que cantan. Somos como una familia. Una familia loca.

Ya había interpretado personajes de Rossini anteriormente, especialmente del Rossini serio.

Hasta ahora he cantado Arsace, de Semiramide, dirigida por Zedda, y volveré a hacerla en Pesaro. También Malcolm, de La donna del Lago y L’italiana en Paris y ahora en BCN. En Arsace, especialmente, puedo mostrar todo. Está todo en la escritura de Rossini. Es una escritura noble. Estuve con Zedda haciendo Semiramide en Moscú. Tuvimos tiempo para trabajar, para analizar cada detalle, trabajando siempre a partir del texto. Fue una gran experiencia, una lección magistral. Son consejos que uno entiende y le influyen. Cuando escucho en grabación esas funciones siento un poco de tristeza, pues murió poco después. Lo importante en Rossini es cantar todas las notas y jugar con ellas para darles expresividad. Eso sí, a tempo. 

En una charla reciente con Cecilia Bartoli, con motivo de su visita a Barcelona con La Cenerentola, le definió a usted como la mejor mezzo rossiniana y, sin duda, la mejor Isabella del momento.

Amo a Cecilia como si fuese mi hermana y para mí, que ella diga esto, es emocionante. Es una mujer de un talento excepcional en todo lo que hace. No conozco a nadie tan talentoso y generoso al mismo tiempo. Con ella hicimos Alcina, en una producción maravillosa de Christoph Loy, y no sólo en cada función, ya en los ensayos, tras escuchar cada una de las arias que interpretaba Cecilia, me hacía llorar de emoción.

A pesar de destacar en papeles de agilidad, como Rossini o Händel, su repertorio es amplio y variado. Y por lo que se ve, cada vez lo será más. ¿Cómo hace para alternar escrituras vocales tan distintas como Isabella, Carmen o Eboli?

No hago ejercicios especiales para cada papel o repertorio. Como comenté anteriormente, lo importante es saber adaptarte a cada estilo; la técnica vocal es exactamente la misma. En todo caso, me gustan los personajes con carácter fuerte. ¡Yo lo tengo!

¿Digamos que es usted más Carmen que Micaela?

¡Micaela es también un personaje fuerte! Al fin y al cabo, hace lo que desea. Hay una tendencia a interpretar Micaela como un personaje blando, pero cuando uno observa lo que hace se da cuenta de que no es así. Carmen es un personaje clave en mi carrera. En cada producción que hago descubro cosas nuevas en ella. De hecho, si lees la versión de Merimée hay ciertas diferencias con la de Bizet. Veo en Carmen a alguien que busca constantemente el amor y siempre le sale mal. Y esta maldición del amor la convierte en un personaje trágico. En cada producción hablo mucho con el director de escena para saber cuál es su visión del personaje y siempre descubro cosas nuevas. Ella es libre, seductora, misteriosa, encantadora, colecciona hombres. Ama aquello que le está prohibido. O a quien le ignora. Como a Don José. Vive el momento. En Carmen hay de todo: la libertad, la femme fatale, el drama, todos los colores. ¡Permite tantas visones distintas! Incluso desde un punto de vista musical o vocal.

Del repertorio francés, también hice Dalila, otro carácter fuerte, en una producción de La fura dels Baus. Y de Berlioz, Ascanio de Benvenuto Cellini en la producción de Terry Gilliam que me encantó. ¡Era como estar dentro de una película! De momento no hay perspectivas que se puedan comentar sobre nuevos papeles de Berlioz (risas).  Amo el repertorio francés, me encantaría interpretar a Charlotte, de Werther. Un personaje distinto con una música maravillosa. También me gustaría cantar repertorio alemán, pero no hablo el idioma y necesito hacerlo para entender el personaje.

En Las Palmas debutará la Princesa Eboli, del Don Carlo de Verdi. ¿Se ve interpretando los grandes roles de mezzo verdiana los próximos años?

¡Sin duda! ¡Por supuesto que me veo haciendo Verdi en el futuro! Ahora debutaré Éboli y tengo unas inmensas ganas de hacerlo; en el momento oportuno me encantará asumir roles como el de Amneris. Todo llegará. ¡Qué mezzo no querría hacerla!

A mí lo que me gusta, lo que me da realmente placer, es hacer teatro y meterme en la piel de los personajes, sentir lo que ellos sienten. En esos momentos siento que hay como un efecto boomerang con el público, una energía que va y vuelve sintiendo una gran comunicación con cada una de las personas del teatro. Sentir eso es algo maravilloso En escena, lo doy todo y encuentro un gran placer en ello. Darlo todo, con control, evidentemente, pero darlo todo. 


Russia Clarifies Position on ‘Foreign’ Military Presence in Armenia

Alex Jidarian
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7 hours ago

Russian ambassador in Yerevan, Sergey Kopyrkin

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to Armenian biological laboratories donated by the United States when he stressed the need to prevent “foreign” military presence in Armenia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday.

Lavrov told a Russian radio station on Monday that Moscow and Yerevan are close to signing an agreement that will bar third countries from deploying military personnel in Armenia. He spoke in the context of American bio labs provided to several ex-Soviet states in recent years.

Armenia has received five such facilities from the U.S. to boost food safety and other sanitary controls on its territory. Earlier this year, it allowed Russian officials to inspect them after Moscow claimed that Washington seems to be running a clandestine biological weapons lab in neighboring Georgia.

The Russian ambassador in Yerevan, Sergey Kopyrkin, said the Russian and Armenian sides are now engaged in a “constructive dialogue” on the work of the labs.

“I don’t exclude that at some point we will reach an overall mutual understanding and agreement,” he told a news conference. “I can’t tell yet what form that agreement could take but any [Russian] ban or diktat is out of question.”

“There is a dialogue and desire to achieve mutual understanding, including on the transparency of the biological laboratories and the presence or non-presence of foreign military personnel in those labs,” Kopyrkin added in reference to Lavrov’s remarks.

Commenting on the remarks, the Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise insisted that Lavrov spoke about the bio labs.

“The labs belong to Armenia and have a civilian character,” stressed the ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalyan. “As far as Armenia is concerned, there is no question of military presence there.”