"Our life has become rabiz"
Artistic director, general conductor of the pop-symphonic orchestra of Public Television and Radio Yervand Yerznkyan views the current state of Armenian pop music as normal.
Yerznkyan told "A1+" that this situation is necessary in order to bring back what Armenia lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"Many people say there is a lot of "rabiz" music and life has become "rabiz" as well. It has not only become "rabiz", but also a large Russian KVN ("Club of the Merry and Inventive") and that is worse than "rabiz. KVN is an amateur art and that is more dangerous. "Rabiz" is a form of expression of honest people at a much lower level. But I think it will all pass," says Yervand Yerznkyan, adding that the fact that there are more singers than before is at least reassuring.
Yerznkyan believes that the issue of becoming a good singer and performer starts as soon as a person gets accepted to the Conservatory. "It used to be hard to get accepted to the Conservatory. Today, it has become easy because the Conservatory is forced to accept non-professional cadres just to pay the professors' salaries," said Yerznkyan who also lectures at the Conservatory.
According to him, it is hard for young, talented artists and performers to be recognized because they need money and sponsors. Yervand Yerznkyan assures that his orchestra gives newcomers the opportunity to perform live with the orchestra and gain experience.
Television companies very often avoid inviting Yervand Yerznkyan to take part in programs. According to him, they don't want to hear his opinion because he always says the right thing.
As for his orchestra, Yervand Yerznkyan says they perform the classics of Armenian pop music which were once forgotten and are now in high demand.
