THOUSANDS TAKE PART IN ‘ARMENIAN CULTURE WEEK’ AT CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION
Thursday, October 23rd, 2014
Performers on stage during an Armenian Culture Week event
LISBON–The first ever Armenian Culture Week (from Oct. 12 to 19)
at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation generated much excitement and
interest in Lisbon, Portugal. Sixteen events took place in eight days,
including concerts, lectures, seminars and exhibitions.
“It was an intense week,” said Razmik Panossian, the Director of the
Armenian Communities Department, “as we brought to Portugal various
aspects of Armenian culture and history. I was truly and pleasantly
surprised at the great interest the Week generated among the general
public and among my colleagues at the Foundation.”
Music Five concerts highlighted traditional and classical Armenian
music as the sound of the duduk and other Armenian instruments filled
the packed the 1000-seat Grand Auditorium on several occasions.
Shoghaken Ensemble’s Road to Armenia concert kicked off the Week
on October 12. Founded in 1995, the Ensemble interprets songs and
melodies, playing them on traditional instruments. The results
“are stunning in their drive, beauty and mystery” according to the
Boston Herald.
On Tuesday night, Oct. 14, a free Armenian chamber music concert was
given by Gulbenkian Orchestra soloists and their guests, performing
pieces by Arno Babajanian, Tigran Mansurian and of course Komitas. The
audience was captivated by the delicate music and the voice of soprano
Manuela Moniz whose repertoire included the classic song of longing,
“Groung.”
Thursday and Friday nights the full Orchestra, conducted by Pedro
Neves, played Armenian and Portuguese composers as part of its regular
series: LuÃs de Freitas Branco and Aram Khachaturian, including the
famous Suite no. 3 from Gayane. Nareh Arghamanyan, the invited piano
soloist, enchanted the audience with her spirited interpretation of
Khachaturian. Friday’s main concert was followed by another Armenian
chamber music concert, playing compositions by Harutiun Dellalian,
Karen Khachaturian and Vache Sharafyan.
A quartet performs pieces by Armenian and Portuguese composers
The music series was closed on Sunday 19 October by the Jordi Savall’s
wonderful “Spirit of Armenia” sold-out concert. His ensemble,
including invited musicians from Armenia produced an enthralling
musical experience.
Roundtables, Lectures and Book Launch
Three public events provided much needed information about the Founder
and his culture on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The roundtable “More than Mr. 5%: The Early Life of Calouste
Gulbenkian” focused on the Founder’s early life and his inspiring
example still relevant to us. The President of the Foundation, Artur
Santos Silva, opened the proceedings. The Director of the Library and
Archives, Ana Paula Gordo, brought the archives to life by highlighting
some of the hidden treasures it contains, including letters from a
very young Gulbenkian to his father. Jonathan Conlin, the biographer
of Calouste Gulbenkian, presented some of the early findings of
his research, leaving the audience eager for the publication of his
book. Finally, Martin Essayan, Gulbenkian’s great-grandson and Trustee,
delivered an inspiring speech aimed largely at the employees of the
Foundation. Openness, cooperation and effectiveness were key words
throughout his discourse. The roundtable was moderated by Razmik
Panossian.
The Portuguese version of Vassili Grossman’s book, An Armenian
Sketchbook, was launched on Wednesday as well. Published by Don
Quixote, it appears under the title “Bem Hajam! Apontamentos de Viagem
a Armenia.” Filipe Guerra, one of the two translators of the book
explained the context of the book and Grossman’s visit to Armenia in
the early 1960s.
The formal opening of the “Networks of Circulation and Exchange:
Armenian, Portuguese, Jewish and Muslim Communities from the
Mediterranean to the South China Seas” conference took place on
Wednesday evening. Once again, the President of the Foundation formally
opened it, emphasizing the spirit of cooperation and collaboration,
as well as the parallels between Armenian and Portuguese history. The
keynote speaker, Professor Sebouh Aslanian, a historian from UCLA, gave
a fascinating account of Armenian merchants and their international
networks in the 17th and 18th centuries. The conference continued on
Thursday and Friday.
An exhibition about Calouste Goulbenkian, titled ‘More than Mr. 5%’
Another roundtable, attended by nearly 80 people, was on the topic
of “Armenian Music: Past and Present.” Moderated by Rui Vieira Nery,
the Director of the Portuguese Language and Culture Programme, it was
not only an informative but also an emotional event. Marina Dellayan,
a Portugal-based pianist, explained the history of Armenian music and
gave an overview of Armenian culture, while musician Gevorg Dabaghyan
introduced the “most Armenian instrument,” the duduk, and graced the
audience with a private concert of three pieces, including Komitas’s
“Dle-Yaman.”
Jordi Savall too had gracefully agreed to take part in another
roundtable on Armenian music prior to his concert. Answering questions
posed by the moderator, Risto Nieminen, the Director of the Music
Department, Savall emphasized the healing power of music and how
resilient people like the Armenians have produced culture in – and
in response too – adverse conditions, violence and exile.
At the Modern Art Centre of the Foundation, Professor Kim Theriault
delivered a fascinating lecture about the life and art of one of
the most important American artists of the 20th century, “Towards
the abstract: the imaginary and imagination of Arshile Gorky.” She
discussed Gorky’s development as an artist, his work and his impact on
modern art. Gorky created, she argued, a unique abstract art that was a
bridge between European Surrealism and American Abstract Expressionism,
and that ultimately it was a visual manifestation of his displacement
as an artist of Armenian origin.
Film Premiere The Grand Auditorium was once again full for the premiere
of the documentary film “ARtMENIA,” directed by Ricardo EspÃrito Santo
(Terra LÃquida Films), in collaboration with Helena Araújo. The movie
artfully introduced Armenian history, culture and traditions to the
Portuguese audience, weaving it through the music of Tigran Mansurian.
Seminars During the week, two two-day international seminars were
hosted by the Foundation. The first, on Monday and Tuesday, brought
together 35 leaders and prominent thinkers in the Armenian world to
discuss strategies for the future. Under the rubric of “Armenians at
2115,” the invitation only seminar was a seminal step in fostering
long term planning and strategic visioning. A separate communique
will soon be issued on this event, followed by a seminar report.
The second two-day seminar, continuing from the keynote address
of Wednesday evening, was an academic gathering on the topic of
“trade networks.” Some 40 international experts focused on the use of
commodities and paper instruments in the early modern period. Some
of the top experts in the field were present, along with younger
colleagues researching the topic. Comparisons were drawn between
Armenian, Portuguese and other trade networks. The papers will be
published as a book.
Exhibitions Two key exhibitions accompanied the Armenian Culture Week
and have received wonderful feedback from the general public.
The first is an exhibition focusing on the early life of Calouste
Gulbenkian, based on his personal papers, entitled More Than Mr.5%:
The Early Life of Calouste Gulbenkian. Among the first visitors was
the illustrious novelist Orhan Pamuk. The exhibition opened on October
2 and will run until 3 November.
The other exhibition, Arshile Gorky and the Collection is at the
Foundation’s Modern Art Centre, and runs until 31 May 2015. It focusses
on Gorky’s surrealist work “in conversation” with other modernists
of his period, including prominent Portuguese artists.
Martin Essayan, Trustee of the Foundation summed up the Week: “It
was touching to see and hear the culture of our Founder resonate in
the Foundation. The collaborative spirit in which Armenian Culture
Week was planned and executed is exemplary. The Armenian Communities
Department reached out to various other parts of the Foundation –
from the Presidency to Communications, from the Music Department
to the Museum, CAM, the Archives, and the Programme of Portuguese
Language and Culture. The success of the week was contingent upon such
collaboration. Indeed, it was a wonderful week celebrating Armenian
culture at one of the premier foundations in Europe headquartered
in Lisbon.”
For more Information visit the webpage or contact
[email protected].