• Հայ
  • Eng
  • РУС
  • Az
September 25  in 60 Seconds September 25 in... 20:37
Explosion in gasoline warehouse on Stepanakert-Askeran highway: there are casualties and injuries Explosion in gasoline warehouse... 20:20
US President's letter to Prime Minister Pashinyan US President's letter to... 20:06
  • Programs
  • World
  • Health
  • Political
  • Economic
  • Public
    • National security
  • Law
  • Investigation
  • Army
    • Eye on the border
  • Nagorno Karabakh
  • State of emergency
  • Regions
  • Nagorno Karabakh under attack
  • Diaspora
  • Cultural
  • Sport
  • Region
Public 14:4604 Nov, 2022

Prime Minister attends opening ceremony of conductor Ohan Durian's statue

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Mrs. Anna Hakobyan attended the solemn opening ceremony of the statue-memorial of the famous conductor, composer Ohan Durian in Freedom Square, in the area adjacent to the Al. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater.

The event was attended by President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan, Chairman of the Republic Party Aram Sargsyan, Ohan Durian's wife Alice Duryan and son Narek Duryan.

The idea of the statue-memorial belongs to Vahan Vardapetyan, the sculptor of the statue is Getik Baghdasaryan, the architect is Sahak Safaryan, the idea of the glass pedestal belongs to Arsen Petrosyan. Coordination works were carried out by Samvel Ghumashyan.

Prime Minister Pashinyan made a speech in which he stated:

"Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia,

Dear attendees,

It's a really very happy occasion, and I must say that I have had the honor and a joy, but perhaps it's also a shortcoming in some sense, to communicate with maestro Ohan Durian almost equally inside these walls and outside these walls. It's actually a shortcoming, because the right balance would be to interact more within these walls than outside the walls, in this square. I have to admit that now, really, what I saw and heard filled me with a lot of positive charges, because I have to be honest, I have to talk about two episodes.

The first time I heard the idea of placing a statue to Ohan Duryan in Freedom Square, to be honest, it was unexpected for me, because after all, Freedom Square, and how much Ohan Durian will be in harmony with the Freedom Square? I knew he would be in harmony, but still, the statue is a different phenomenon. And when I understood the idea in more detail, grasped the idea, I saw that Ohan Durian's presence in Freedom Square is really very important, because I think that Ohan Durian's presence in Freedom Square, or rather right here, symbolizes his presence both inside these walls, and outside these walls.

I think Ohan Durian's presence here also symbolizes the presence of many of our political partners in this square: Aram Sargsyan's presence is emphasized, Vahagn Khachaturyan's presence is emphasized, Vahram Dumanyan's presence is emphasized. I don't know, many people may not be aware, but in 2007, together with Vahram Dumanyan, we held a number of political events in this square. It emphasizes also my presence. I don't want to give too many names, because we are living hard times, I don't know if a person will perceive it positively if I give his name, one may say why my name is being speculated in the Freedom Square. I remembered that I held my first rally in Freedom Square, where I gave a speech, right there, under that pillar. This is very important.

The next fact, I also told the President about it a while ago, I have to thank you, Mr. Vardapetyan, because I know what kind of personal attachment you have with maestro Ohan Durian. I have to admit, all this time I was thinking how much that personal attachment could contradict, contrast with the aesthetics of the Freedom Square and the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. I was a little worried that, however, both Ohan Durian's factor and Mr. Vardapetyan's personal devotion to Ohan Durian might disrupt the aesthetics, but I have to say that it turned out to be a really magnificent place, a magnificent composition, and I am grateful for that.

Secondly, I was asked if I am aware of the commotion over Ohan Durian's statue? I said no, I don’t know. I was told that a project of the statue has been published, and there is a lot of noise and criticism around it. I said send it to me, you can send the photo. When I saw that photo, I was shocked, because, to be honest, for me Ohan Durian was just like what I saw in the photo. Moreover, he did not look like that on the stage. I remember - if I'm wrong, please correct me - there is a documentary film about Ohan Durian, Stas Namin made that film, right? In that film, during the rehearsal, Ohan Durian is in a short-sleeved shirt, and I was shocked by the work and the look of his impressive arms, those muscular, impressive arms, because, sorry, Ohan Durian in a tuxedo or tailcoat is not visible and fully understood. Ohan Durian is the incomprehensible but at the same time captivating movement of those bare, muscular arms. If Ohan Durian had another statue, think of it as not Ohan Durian's statue. I also congratulate the author of this idea, I thank the implementor of the idea.

We talked about Ohan Durian’s character, and I want to conclude with the following emphasis: he was born in Jerusalem, traveled all over the world and rests in the homeland, and he lived in the homeland. Ohan Durian, if I remember correctly, had very big, noisy and successful tours in Armenia back in the 50s. His conducting activity in Armenia dates back to the end of the 50s and then his return to the already independent republic. Usually when one says pilgrimage, they understand Jerusalem, but I understand Ohan Durian's life and journey as a pilgrimage from Jerusalem to a sovereign state, a sovereign homeland.

What we have to do, I consider, is the continuation of that dream. A dream is a living phenomenon, and I understand now that we have not noticed the most concrete dream among dreams, which is that Armenia itself should be concrete, visible, measurable, tangible, and that is the guarantee of Armenia's existence. It's not very easy because even we perceive our loved ones as ideal. The ideal is beyond concreteness, because when you make a person concrete, you see his shortcomings and advantages. Sometimes you realize that he is not as toll as you would want, he is not so handsome as you would like, sometimes he is not as solid as you would like, sometimes he is not even as strong as you would like, but this is when the culmination of love comes. When you love in concreteness, when you love someone the way he is, you don't love the person of your dreams, but from the person of your dreams you get a concrete person who has pains, shortcomings, weaknesses, who is not so divine and cosmic like you dreamed or thought. But you, perceiving him as such, make him stronger and love him more. The same is for the motherland: to love the motherland, concretizing, seeing all its advantages and disadvantages, taking it down from the pedestal and making it an object of daily care: love, affection, criticism, harsh criticism, debate, argument, yes, family quarrel, and to protect it with all this. I perceive today's symbol like this. Ohan Durian was taken down from two pedestals, cultural and political, and was placed and rested on the soil of the Republic of Armenia. This is today's symbolism, and I congratulate all of us on the occasion of this symbolism."

 

Views 424
facebook icon twitter icon

Related News

  • One new stamp dedicated to 11:5706 Oct, 2022 One new stamp dedicated to "Prominent Armenians: 100th anniversary of Ohan Duryan Public
  • President Vahagn Khachaturyan attends an event dedicated to Maestro Ohan Duryan’s 100th birth anniversary 13:2009 Sep, 2022 President Vahagn Khachaturyan attends an event dedicated to Maestro Ohan Duryan’s 100th birth anniversary Cultural
Հիմա եթերում
News
  • September 25 in 60 Seconds 20:3725 Sep, 2023
  • Explosion in gasoline warehouse on Stepanakert-Askeran highway: there are casualties and injuries 20:2025 Sep, 2023
  • Prime Minister received Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia 20:1025 Sep, 2023
  • US President's letter to Prime Minister Pashinyan 20:0625 Sep, 2023
  • Samantha Power delivered letter of US President Joe Biden to Prime Minister Pashinyan 19:4325 Sep, 2023
  • Representatives of NK and Azerbaijan met in Ivanyan: a number of humanitarian issues discussed 19:2125 Sep, 2023
  • Turkish-Azerbaijani relations have nothing similar in world: Erdogan 19:0625 Sep, 2023
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia announced search for president of International Criminal Court 18:2525 Sep, 2023
  • Samantha Power and Yuri Kim are scheduled to visit Kornidzor tomorrow: Vardan Sargsyan 18:1825 Sep, 2023
  • The macroeconomic and fiscal framework of the draft state budget for 2024 discussed at Government 18:1525 Sep, 2023
  • German Foreign Ministry expressed concern about situation of Armenian population in Nagorno Karabakh 17:4125 Sep, 2023
  • As of 17:00, 6,650 forcibly displaced persons entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh 17:3025 Sep, 2023
  • EU Mission received ambassador of Spain in Armenia 17:1525 Sep, 2023
  • Prime Minister receives the newly appointed Ambassador of Iran to Armenia 16:5725 Sep, 2023
  • Kaljurand and 3 other officials of European Parliament call to consider issue of applying sanctions against authorities of Azerbaijan 16:5325 Sep, 2023
  • I am in Armenia to speak directly with those impacted by humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh: Samantha Power 16:3125 Sep, 2023
  • Mishustin informed about meeting of Prime Ministers of EAEU member states in Bishkek 16:2325 Sep, 2023
  • Armenia's Ombudswoman is in Kornidzor civil reception center: she talked to the displaced 16:1025 Sep, 2023
  • Kolokoltsev arrived in Yerevan to participate in joint collegium of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia and Russia 16:0525 Sep, 2023
  • USAID’s Samantha Power pays respect to Armenian Genocide victims 16:0225 Sep, 2023
  • Face-to-face meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey started in Nakhijevan 15:5825 Sep, 2023
  • Head of EU Delegation to RA to Alen Simonyan: Situation is extremely difficult for Armenia and Armenian people 15:4425 Sep, 2023
  • Prime Minister Pashinyan receives US Senator Gary Peters 15:3125 Sep, 2023
  • Regular meeting of representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan ended in Ivanyan 15:1625 Sep, 2023
  • Search operations for servicemen and civilians considered killed and missing are ongoing 15:0725 Sep, 2023
  • Ambassador of Lithuania Proposes Alen Simonyan to hold inter-parliamentary discussion via video call 14:5925 Sep, 2023
  • Russian peacekeepers are actually in territory of Azerbaijan: Peskov 14:5725 Sep, 2023
  • US continues to support Armenia's efforts to establish peace in the region: Samantha Power 14:2625 Sep, 2023
  • Meeting of representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan kicked off 13:4625 Sep, 2023
  • Senior US officials traveling to Armenia as Karabakh's Armenians start to leave: Reuters 13:4525 Sep, 2023
  • Settlements are planned throughout territory of Armenia: Vardan Sargsyan 13:3925 Sep, 2023
  • We will not allow world leaders to forget their complicity in destruction of Armenian civilization in Nagorno-Karabakh: Lemkin Institute 13:3625 Sep, 2023
  • ICRC continues its work in direction of accepting new batch of vehicles and transporting wounded to Armenia 13:3125 Sep, 2023
  • As of 12:00, 4,850 forcibly displaced persons entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh 13:0125 Sep, 2023
  • United States stands by Armenian people: US Senator Gerry Peters to RA NA Speaker 12:5925 Sep, 2023
  • Thousands of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are being evacuated from land of their ancestors: Marukyan 12:4625 Sep, 2023
  • Not to panic and not to rush in order not to overload corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia: call of National Emergency Service of Internal Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh 12:3925 Sep, 2023
  • As of 12:00, health condition of 4 of 23 wounded who were transferred from Nagorno-Karabakh to Yerevan and receiving treatment is considered extremely serious: Armenia's Ministry of Health 12:2825 Sep, 2023
  • Armenia adheres to agreements, including opening of roads: Sanosyan 11:2525 Sep, 2023
  • Macron is worried about possible military attack by Azerbaijan against Armenia 11:1625 Sep, 2023

All rights reserved

© 2022 1lurer.am

26, G․ Hovsepyan Str., Yerevan, Nork 0011

+374 10 650015