In April and May of this year a new cooperative German-Armenian project has started – the chamber opera „Goodbye Bird“. It will be written by composer Arsen Babajanyan, who lives in Munich. The opera is based on the novel of contemporary Armenian writer Aram Pachyan "Goodbye, Bird".
„Goodbye, Bird“.
The organizers of the project are the international Association “Artconcept” and the municipality of Munich. The Embassy of Armenia in Germany also supports the realisation of the project.
The creative team includes Aram Pachyan, animator Yeva Muradyan and Munich-based choreograph and dancer Ljuba Avvakumova. The first working sessions of this time are begun in April and May in Munich, as Aram Pachyan and Yeva Muradyan were invited for an artist in residence program in Villa Waldberta. There they have worked together with composer and choreograph on the concept of the future opera. During the first weeks of work two performances were born. The first one was a dace performance, inspired by some fragments of the novel. It was accompanied by video animation of Yeva Muradya and music by Arsen Babajanyan. It took place on May 2 on the scene of “Schwere Reiter” in Munich, in frame of the dance festival „ HIER=JETZT“.
This performance was followed by a theatrical lecture in the artist residence Villa Waldberta on May 3, during the event „Night of the open doors“. Pachyan and Avvakumova read some scenes from „Goodbye, bird“ simultaneously in Armenian and German. At the same time the sketches of Yeva Muradyan and electronic music by Arsen Babajanyan was presented in the neighbour room.
This performance had an interactive character, as the visitors where also actively included into the scenic play.
The premiere of the chamber opera is planed to be in February 2020 in Munich.
On the one hand,the international opera project „Goodbye, Bird“ promotes the collaborative processes between the composer and the writer, on the other hand it stimulates the recognition of contemporary Armenian literature in Germany and activates the cultural exchange between Armenian and German artists.
