How La Traviata bridged Armenia and England: Composer Kriss Russman on music and humanity

“Audience here is incredibly warm and appreciative, compared to many other cities where I have performed”, – says British conductor and composer Kriss Russman who gave a wonderful performance conducting La Traviata opera in the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia on 30 April in the framework of the First International Opera Festival in Armenia. In the interview to Panorama.am Kriss Russman speaks about his Armenian experience, the humanitarian idea behind the pieces he has composed, the Armenian Genocide, as well as about the classical music in Europe. 

Russman first time thought of cooperation with Armenia when he met Armenian-American conductor Constantine Orbelian, Jr and later young Armenian tenor Tigran Ohanian who had won a competition in Minsk in December last year.

“This was Tigran’s debut as Rigoletto in Minsk. He had a marvelous performance, and he was absolutely fine to work with. After that I wrote to Constantine saying that it would be lovely to have a performance with Tigran again, possibly at the Opera Theatre in Armenia which he is heading. That is how I came to Armenia for the first time and appeared in the Opera Festival conducting La Traviata”, – he says.

Sharing his impressions about his short stay in Armenia, he goes on saying,

“There have been some remarkable performances outside La Traviata during the festival – opera stars from Metropolitan Opera in New York, including Barbara Fritolli, Stephen Costello, Rodion Pogossov, George Gagnidze and Hasmik Gregorian. I have really enjoyed getting to know more about the Armenian culture, and of course wonderful cuisine, wine, cognac and everything. I’ve really enjoyed being here very much. I hope to continue my cooperation with Armenia in future. I would love to come back.”

Kriss is not only a conductor but a composer, and some of his pieces he has chosen topics about war, humanity and about people who sacrificed their lives trying to raise awareness in the warzones. His piece Musica Dolorosa is dedicated to British charity worker Margaret Hassan who was famous for her work in Iraq and for actively lobbying to end the Western sanctions against Iraq because they were primarily hurting the Iraqi children. She was taken hostage by militants and murdered.  
 
“This piece is not really a political statement, it is more an in memoriam piece. I find this period of time very moving – she fought quite hard to stop sanctions in Iraq and she was killed in this very brutal way. I feel that these people, who were killed while trying to do good things, are often forgotten. So by writing something artistically helps people to remember them. It is the same with my friend Andrey Slapinch. He was trying to record on film the brutality of something that was going on at the fall of the Soviet Union, and he was shot while he was doing it. It is a total injustice, and there are many such cases. I think it is useful for a composer to write something I the memory of these people, because it keeps the idea of what happened to them in the public memory and makes them think again, which I believe is important”, – he says.  

Sharing his impressions from the concert dedicated to the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24 which was played by the Armenian musicians internationally, Russman says:

“I know very well about the Armenian Holocaust. It is appalling that this genocide is still not recognized internationally. Everyone has got to make the world aware of this terrible thing that happened. It was very interesting for me to go to the concert dedicated to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide on April 24 and hear the wonderful Armenian music collection by ten Armenian composers. I think it was a great idea also to put together an orchestra composed of Armenian musicians from all over the world. It was a very moving evening”.

A more recent project by Russman has been a CD of the music by British composer George Butterworth who in his words “would have become one of the finest English composers had he not died at the Battle of the Somme in 1916”. Russman completed a piece which Butterworth started but left unfinished. It was recorded with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has been published by BIS Records. 

Speaking about the extent and the trend of popularity of classical music in Europe the composer says that in UK and in Europe in general classical music has now become more popular. Radio stations like classic.fm have played their role in that. He at the same time advocates for bringing classical music education back to schools, as it was in the times when he was a pupil, so that people are exposed to it as they grow up.

“Music is good for your soul, it is a kind of medicine with a soothing power that helps people”, – says the British musician.