Isahakyan museum to host Armenian premiere of Sviridov’s epic vocal poem ‘Country of My Fathers’

The house-museum of renowned Armenian poet Avetik Isahakyan will transform into a multidisciplinary cultural stage on May 26 as it hosts the Armenian premiere of Russian composer Georgy Sviridov’s monumental vocal poem Country of My Fathers, a large-scale musical work inspired by Isahakyan’s poetry.

The performance, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Avetik Isahakyan House-Museum, is being presented through a collaboration between the museum and the Asq Educational and Cultural Center. The production is directed by professor and stage director Arsen Ghazaryan and features tenor Hovhannes Andreasyan, bass Hayk Tigranyan and pianist Lucy Shahnazaryan.

Composed for tenor, bass and piano, the 11-part vocal cycle emerged after Sviridov encountered Isahakyan’s poetry in 1949. Deeply moved by its philosophical depth and emotional force, the composer created what performers describe as a monumental synthesis of poetry, theater and music.

Tigranyan, who performs the bass role in the production, characterized the vocal line as “the voice of the land itself,” embodying collective memory, ancestral wisdom and the spiritual gravity of the homeland.

“In this epic vocal poem, the bass becomes the voice of the earth and the nation’s historical consciousness,” Tigranyan said in an interview with Panorama.am on Wednesday. “From the opening movement, the music creates an archaic, almost ritualistic atmosphere in which the singer no longer speaks as an individual, but as the echo of centuries.”

The singer noted that Sviridov’s score is widely regarded as exceptionally demanding, both technically and interpretively. He cited Soviet bass Alexander Vedernikov, who once described the composition as one of the most formidable musical challenges he had encountered. Even composer Dmitri Shostakovich reportedly remarked on the work’s extraordinary vocal difficulty, comparing it to the operatic intensity of Wagner and Mussorgsky.

Tigranyan said the Armenian premiere carries additional symbolic weight because the work sets the poetry of Isahakyan and will be staged inside the poet’s former residence.

“This is not simply a concert,” he said. “The poems will come alive in the very house where their creator once lived. Through theatrical interpretation, the text transcends the written page and becomes a living national narrative.”

According to the performers, the poem traverses multiple emotional and dramatic landscapes, including exile, maternal longing, peasant labor, memory and patriotism. Central movements such as “Song of Bread” depict humanity’s bond with the soil, while others explore the anguish of displacement and homesickness through intimate psychological imagery.

Tigranyan also emphasized Sviridov’s nuanced treatment of Armenian musical identity, noting that the composer avoided superficial folkloric imitation in favor of deeper structural and emotional resonance.

“In movements such as ‘Song of Bread,’ one hears melodic ornamentation reminiscent of the Armenian saz,” he said. “Elsewhere, harmonic textures evoke the sonic world of Komitas. Sviridov understood not merely the external color of Armenian culture, but its spiritual architecture.”

Museum director Armine Avetisyan described the project as part of a broader effort to preserve the museum as a living cultural institution rather than a static memorial space.

“The Isahakyan museum environment is becoming a true crossroads of the arts,” Avetisyan said. “This production unites poetry, theater and music in a single dramatic continuum.”

She added that Sviridov viewed Isahakyan’s poetry as a revelation of “spiritual purity and emotional vastness,” and that the museum provided the ideal setting for realizing the director’s artistic vision.

The production incorporates staged readings by director Arsen Ghazaryan and seeks to reinterpret Isahakyan’s poetic legacy for contemporary audiences through a fusion of operatic performance and theatrical storytelling.

Avetisyan expressed hope that the premiere would establish a long-term platform for innovative cultural programming rooted in Armenian literary heritage while engaging broader universal themes.

“This project demonstrates that Isahakyan’s legacy transcends borders,” she said. “His poetry continues to inspire major artists across generations and cultures.”