''Anoush'' (also ''Anush'', ) is a five-act opera composed by

Armen Tigranian Armen Tigranian or Tigranyan or Dikranian (; 26 December 1879, Alexandropol – 10 February 1950, Tbilisi) was an Armenian composer, conductor and sociocultural activist. His best-known work is '' Anoush'', premiered in Alexandropol in 1912. It ...

, based on the 1892 poem of the same name by

Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan (, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, q ...

. Originally composed in 1912, it was first performed in

Alexandropol Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

, but it had to wait until 1935 for its full professional staging at the Armenian National Opera Theater. ''Anoush'' remains in the

repertoire Repertory or repertoire () is the list or set of works a person or company is accustomed to performing. Whether the English or French spelling is used has no bearing, but it was the French word, with an accent on the first e, , that first took ho ...

in Armenia. The opera has special importance to Armenian musical history as one of its most significant accomplishments. Being a work of national character, ''Anoush'' was the first opera truly inspired by Armenian folk music and culture, and it is perhaps the most popular Armenian musical and theatrical work. The opera is about the tragedy of a peasant girl (Anoush) whose short love affair ends in loss and death because of conflict between her lover (Saro) and her brother (Mossy).

Plot

The tragic love story is set in a typical 19th-century Armenian village. Anoush is a young village girl who falls in love with a shepherd, named Saro. One evening, at a village wedding celebration, Mossy, Anoush's brother, and Saro wrestle in a friendly match. Anoush watched from the sidelines. However, instead of ending it in a draw, as is the prevailing custom, Saro violates the local code of honor and humiliates him by pinning him down. Enraged, Mossy vows to destroy Saro, whom he now considers his enemy. Efforts for reconciliation between the two failing, and finding their hopes of marriage dashed, Anoush and Saro run away. Eventually, while Anoush is back in the village in an attempt for reconciliation, Mossy finds Saro and shoots him dead. Upon this loss, Anoush loses her sanity and ends her life by throwing herself off a cliff.

Recordings

*Anoush - Kohar Kasparian (Anoush soprano), Dikran Levonian (Saro tenor), Arshavir Garabedian (Mosi baritone). Armenian National Opera Theatre, choir conductor Roupen Aivazian, orchestra conductor Hagop Vosganian, 2CD 1998 *Mosi's aria - on Arias of Love & Sorrow Gevorg Hakobyan (baritone), Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, John Fisher, Constantine Orbelian 2023

References

Opera: ''Anoush'', Classic of Armenia, in Detroit
by

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to ''Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ki ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 2 November 1981

External links

"Опера Тиграняна «Ануш»"
igranyan's opera ''Anoush''by А. Гозенпуд (), details, belcanto.ru (in Russian) * *,

Gohar Gasparyan Gohar Mikayeli Gasparyan (14 December 192416 May 2007, ), also known as the "Armenian nightingale", was an Armenian opera singer. Life Born in an Armenian family in Cairo, Egypt, Gasparyan studied at a Music Academy in the city. In 1948, she ...

as Anoush {{Portal bar, Opera 1912 operas Operas Armenian-language operas Operas by Armen Tigranian Operas based on literature

Plot

Recordings

See also

References

External links