Gegham Grigoryan

Gegham Grigorian
Native name Գեղամ Գրիգորյան
Гегам Григорян
Born (1951-01-29) 29 January 1951
Yerevan, Armenia
Occupation(s) Opera singer (tenor)

Gegham Grigorian (also written Grigoryan) (Armenian: Գեղամ Գրիգորյան; Russian: Гегам Григорян) (born on January 29, 1951 in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia) is an Armenian opera singer, tenor.

Biography

The world-famous tenor Gegham Grigorian graduated from Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, the class of People's Artist of Armenia professor Sergei Danielyan. Grigorian made his first appearance on the big stage in 1971 at age 20, in 1972 he went to West Berlin to appear with solo concerts.

In 1975 he made his debut at the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia in the role of Edgar (opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti). This is followed by Saro (opera "Anush" by Tigranian), Tirith ("Arshak II" by Chukhajyan), Sayat Nova ("Sayat-Nova" by Harutyunyan), Count Almaviva ("The Barber of Seville" by Rossini), Faust ("Faust" by Gounod.)

Restricted to travel abroad

In the 1970s he was already a famous singer in the former Soviet Union. In 1978 he took part in the competition of the School of Art in Milan at the theater La Scala and was one of the four lucky winners who were invited to qualify for this school. During his traineeship in Italy, he participated in several concerts. In "La Scala" Gegham Grigorian made his debut in the role of Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly by Puccini). After that performance, he signed a contract with the theater "La Scala" on the leading rols of the operas "Boris Godunov" and Tosca. The performances were conducted by Claudio Abbado, then he was principal conductor of La Scalla.

Unfortunately, the Soviet authorities, for unknown reasons, forbade him to act outside the territory of the Soviet Union for 10 years. In those years Grigorian was in the list of so-called restricted artists to travel abroad.

In 1980, Virgilijus Noreika, artistic director of Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre invites Grigorian to work In Vilnius. There Grigorian worked with the famous conductor Jonas Alex. He sang in the operas "Eugene Onegin", "Don Carlos", "Boris Godunov," "La Traviata," "Madame Butterfly," "Rigoletto" and many others.

Since 1989, at the invitation of Valery Gergiev he performed at the Mariinsky Theater as the lead singer.

Here Grigorian was a great success. In those years, the Mariinsky Theater just gained fame. Gegham Grigorian made a great contribution in the formation and establishment of company of soloists, that always marks with a sense of gratitude the chief conductor and artistic director Valery Gergiev. Until now, in St.Petersburg and throughout Russia, opera fans remember the beautiful and dramatic voice and a magnificent performance of Gegham Grigorian.

Since 1990 the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse, and Grigorian had the opportunity to travel to foreign countries.

Abroad career

This stage of career of Grigorian began with debut at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1993, at the Royal Opera House (London), he made his debut in the role of Lensky ("Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky), and in the role of Herman ("The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky) in 1995. Grigoryan sang at all famous and big Opera Houses and concert halls. Royal Opera House (“Mazepa”, “Eugene Onegin”), Metropolitan Opera (“The Queen of Spades", "Aida", "War and Peace", " Un Ballo in Maschera", "Prince Igor", "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Tosca" ), La Scala ("Madame Butterfly", "La Forza del Destino", "Boris Godunov", "Khovanshchina," "Queen of Spades", "War and Peace”), Teatro Colón Buenos Aires (“Fedor", "Pagliacci", " Cloak ", “Norma “), Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (“ Norma ", "Aida"," Un Ballo in Maschera "," La Boheme ", etc.), Berlin Staatsoper (“ Prince Igor, " "Aida", “Il Trovatore, " “Queen of Spades ").

Grigoryan sang in New York, Washington, Tokyo, Paris, Vienne, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Geneva, Florence, Japan, etc.

Since 1990, Grigorian was a regular guest at various festivals: Chorégies d'Orange (Orange, France), at the Summer Opera Season in the Baths of Caracalla (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Rome,Italy), Ravenna Festival (Ravenna, Italy), Savonlinna Opera Festival (Savonlinna, Finlyadniya), Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence, Italy), Festival Puccini (Torre del Lago, Italy), Salzburg Festival (Germany), and many others. In the 1989-96 he was a member of the Committee of the artistic leadership at the Tours Festival (France). He fulfilled all of the most difficult parts for tenors ("Rigoletto" 208 performances, "Aida" 70 productions). He has worked with all the great singers of the classic genre, who created the history of classical performance of 20-21 centuries: Ghiaurov, Mirella Freni, Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Gena Dimitrova, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Louis Levine, Bartoletti, Svetlanov, Richter. Opera directors: Grenvik, Konchalovsky, Zeffirelli, Del Monaco, etc.

After ten years of abroad career Gegham Grigorian has been called one of the best tenors of the 20th century, the list of which is headed by the legendary Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Corelli.

The Artistic Director of the Armenian National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan

In 2000 the President of Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan invited him to be the artistic director of the Yerevan Opera Theater. He directed the theater in that position until 2007. In those years, the Theater staged the following operas directed by Grigorian: Verdi "La Traviata", Tigranyan "Anush", "David Beck" Chukhajyan "Arshak II" During the years of leadership of Grigorian the Theater staged such operas of directors invited by Grigorian as "Carmen", "Norma", "Aleko”, “ Don Juan.” The concert version included the following operas: Tchaikovsky "Iolanta", Mozart "The Magic Flute", Vivaldi "Tigran the Great". The following ballets were performed Aram Khachaturyan "Gayane" M.Mavisakalyan - L. Tchgnavoryan "Saint Hripsime and Trdat," Shchedrin "Carmen - Suite".

Bellini's "Norma" was filmed in the pagan temple of Garni with the artistic staff of theater, (Director: Boris Hayrapetyan (Russia), Production of Spendiaryan Opera and Ballert Theater and Union of Cinematographers of Russia) From 2015 at the request of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the troupe of the Opera House, Gegham Grigorian returned to the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet as artistic director.

Grigoryan gives master classes to many students from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, USA, Canada, Syria and other countries.

Recordings

By order of Philips Classics Records, Gegham Grigorian has recorded the following operas:

Filmography

Awards and Prizes

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