Armenian opera

[Christopher]

I recently stumbled across the London Armenian Opera company in the press, and so looked for their website which is here - http://helicon.meccahosting.com/~a0007ded/index.htm.

It seems they put on an Armenian opera once per year. Most are from "our" era.  I have written to them asking if they also make recordings.  No reply as of yet...

So far they have done (http://helicon.meccahosting.com/~a0007ded/past%20productions.htm#ANOUSH):

Anoush, a tragic opera by Armen Tigranian (1879-1950) (Tigranian can also be rendered as Dikranian)
Kaj Nazar', a comic opera by Haro Stepanian (1897-1966)
Davit Bek, an heroic opera by Armen Tigranian
Garineh (aka Leblebidji Hor-Hor Agha) by Tigran Chouhajian (aka Chukhajian, Dikran Tchouhadjian, 1837-1898)

(Complete recordings already exist of Anoush and Davit Bek - both are large-scale and immensely listenable)

The "Next production" page is currently blank...

An excerpt from Kaj Nazar (the Italian Queen's aria) is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t6UEvoXDAw though only with piano accompaniment.

[Alan Howe]

Here's Armen Tigranian's opera 'Anoush': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KpApa-UKOA

...and his 'David-Bek': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVBXEq-MD7o

[adriano]

"Anush" and "David-Bek" were available on Melodiya Mono LPs - and still are at second-hand dealers. I like them!

[Christopher]

"Anush" and "David-Bek" were available on Melodiya Mono LPs - and still are at second-hand dealers. I like them!

They are moderately widely available on CD too.  And also Choukhadjian's large-scale opera "Arshak II"

[Christopher]

A complete performance of Choukhadjian's operetta "Karine" (also known as "'Leblebiji Hor-Hor-Aga") is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt05BwiD5Bk

Wikipedia:  Leblebidzhi (Leblebidzhi Khor-Khor-Aga) also known as Karine is an operetta, a classic of Armenian music by Tigran Chukhajyan.
Operetta "Leblebidzhi" ("Pea Seller"), written in 1875.

The premiere took place on November 17, 1875 in Constantinople.

On the Russian and Soviet stage, the operetta was performed under the name Karine.

Armen, an energetic young man, dreams of creating the first large theater in his hometown of Constantinople. Before the start of the first performance, the female lead unexpectedly leaves the theater. Finding a worthy replacement is almost impossible.

Markar - a street actor - wants to help his best friend by proposing an actress from a troupe of street acrobats. Eventually Armen and Markar discover another young and graceful woman with a charming voice riding a boat - Karine. The story is complicated by obstacles created by her father, Gore-Gor Agoy, a pea seller who forbids his daughter to play theater, speaking of the "immorality" of the artists. Armen tries to convince Karine that the theater is a wonderful place where poetry and beautiful stories are embodied on the stage. Young people perform a duet - this is how their love story begins.

[Christopher]

The "Dikran Tchouhadjian International Institute" has a youtube channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUhxUwndLzTetYvOtwyqTQA in which they post recordings of his sections of his operas, including pieces for orchestra using computer software that is among the most "realistic" I have heard - the Grand Ballet Arabe, from "Zemiré", fairy-tale opera in 4 acts sounds particularly attractive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU0VWYkoBKY

(The reference to his opera "Olimpia" - this is an alternative name for Arshak II, discussed above and elsewhere - a complete recording is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNVPChsr_pI.)

There is also some of his piano music on this channel and elsewhere on youtube (played on a piano, not a computer).