From illusion to the market
"Show-business in Armenia is an illusion. The country is not ready for that. it is either early or too late to develop show-business in Armenia," founding director of the State Theater of Song Artur Grigoryan told "A1+". According to him, the economic crisis is not to blame for the current state of show-business in Armenia at all.
"If we use that word, which is very fashionable now and which I hate, crisis, the country was in a deeper crisis in 1994. During those years, theaters were closing one after another due to lack of gas and electricity. But we opened and that first generation began to build the theater. They were newcomers, including Shushan Petrosyan, Aramo and Grisha Aghakhanyan. After three to four years, it was time for a change of generation. I don't like to see too much of something. The second generation of singers came, including Varduhi Vardanyan, Zaruhi Babayan, Andre, Arsen Safaryan and Arsen Grigoryan. Then, it got tiring at the theater. We left for Artsakh and started getting involved in contests. Now, the theater is preparing singers of the fourth generation," said head of the State Theater of Song.
Is there is a need to follow up on the theater graduates' correct or wrong steps in the future? In response, Artur Grigoryan said that the wrong thing is to go to the market, as well as listening to pop music on television and radio.
"Russians say, ‘whoever is not lazy, sings'. I will never let my singers sing vulgar music. If any one of my singers produces for the market, I say fine, but leave 70 percent of that within you. No matter how much money you make, it will not be enough. You will lose yourself if you run after money," says Grigoryan.
Let us remind that this year marks the theater's 15th anniversary and one of the representatives of the theater's fourth generation of singers, Anahit Shahbazyan, might represent Armenia at the "Slavyanski Bazar" international music competition.
