12th March 2018 National Artist of RSFSR, director, tutor, Chief Stage Director of the Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre (1974-1988) Vaagn Vacheevich Bagratuni would have turned 80. It was a special era for the Novosibirsk opera: overwhelming talent, full scale, wide comprehension of performing space, masterful design of mass scenes, of characters’ relations. No doubt, he was a true master, and after a certain period of time it’s become obvious: this strong, unconventional personality could not part ways with one of the biggest opera theatres of the country. More than 20 opera productions, a number of grand concerts recur to memory as highly impressive events.
“I would call musical sense the main trait of his directing touch. Vaagn Bagratuni was a very musical stage director. He perceived music like no one else, just like he used to design harmonic drama of the performance – tells National Artist of RSFSR Boris Efimovich Gruzin, Principal Conductor of the Novosibirsk theatre in 1986-1989, who worked with Vaagn Bagratuni on opera productions – with all that profoundness and wealth of information, his productions were always very bright and spectacular. I’d even say this particular staginess was his main principle for designing a performance”.
Vaagn Bagratuni was born in Yerevan in a family of artists. His father, Vache Bagratuni was a Soviet Armenian actor, Honored Artist of Armenian SSR; his mother, Violetta Vartanyan was a singer. Bagratuni is a powerful ancient lineage. Armenian family name Bagratuni and Georgian version Bagration derive from the royal dynasty of Bagratides.
At first, Vaagn Bagratuni thought of following his parents’ acting career. In 1960 he graduated from the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, discipline – actor in drama theatre, then entered GITIS (RSUTA), faculty of musical theatre directing. After finishing his studies in 1964 he worked at the Saratov opera and ballet theatre, gave lessons at the conservatory. In 1967 Bagratuni was invited to assume the post of Chief Stage Director of Spendiarov State academic opera and ballet theatre.
In March 1974 Vaagn Bagratuni was invited to the Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre for Tchaikovsky’s “The Maid of Orleans”; musical director of that production was Principal Conductor of the theatre Isidor Zak. First meeting with the Novosibirsk theatre became a landmark point in his life – after “The Maid of Orleans” Vaagn Bagratuni assumed the post of Chief Stage Director of the Novosibirsk opera.
“What was the thing about the Novosibirsk theatre that attracted me the most? First of all it’s the size of it, so much room for creative activity – told Vaagn Bagratuni in an interview – It was a place, where a certain line of work has been building up, a line close to my personality. There is probably no other stage in USSR capable of hosting really huge, full scale performance – with expanse and perspective.”
Bagratuni staged a lot of performances at the Novosibirsk theatre, including the following: The “Maid of Orleans” by Tchaikovsky, “The Tsar's Bride” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Fidelio” by Beethoven, “Carmen” by Bizet, “La traviata” by Verdi, “The Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach, “Madame Bovary” by Bondeville (First time in USSR, 1980), “An Unusual Occurrence or the Government Inspector” by Ivanov, “Otello” by Verdi, “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini, “Hot Snow” by Holminov, “Prince Igor” by Borodin, “Madama Butterfly” by Puccini.
One of the most interesting productions of Vaagn Bagratuni within the Siberian stage was “The Government Inspector”. Opera of a Siberian composer George Ivanov based on Gogol’s play, staged by Vaagen Bagratuni, conducted by Isidor Zak, set design by Albina Morozova became an artistic triumph of the Novosibirsk opera, it was well received both by critics and audience.
Vaagn Bagratuni gave lessons on acting to the opera soloists and members of the chorus, which was an unusual thing for a theatre in those times; he gave lectures at the operatic training department of the Novosibirsk state conservatory.
There are several performances, which later became milestones for the Novosibirsk theatre staged by Vaagn Bagratuni in cooperation with conductor Boris Gruzin: “Into the Storm” opera by Tikhon Khrennikov, “Fidelio” by Beethoven (Boris Gruzin called this staging one of the most important works of his life), “Otello” by Verdi (this production became a moment of glory for an outstanding tenor Valery Egudin in a title role), “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini, “Khovanshchina” by Mussorgsky.
“Our creative cooperation developed very smoothly. Bagratuni worked well with conductors, since he knew that directing was not enough for an opera performance, he understood that it’s the cooperative work of director and conductor that keeps the performance bound to its musical roots – Boris Gruzin recalls – he was a fabler in a good way, he sometimes asked me to support director’s ideas with musical accents, and he was thankful if I would cut in his work with my suggestions, based on musical dramaturgy. All our productions are cooperative works. I would like to highlight two of our works in particular: “Fidelio” by Beethoven and “Khovanshchina” by Mussorgsky. Both of us found it important to design performances in a modern way with references to nowaday problems, keeping it historically correct”.
From 1988 to 1992 Vaagn Bagratuni had been living and working in his hometown, Yeravan.
Boris Gruzin: “Vaagn Bagratuni was curious, vibrant, vigorous man, a wild card. He was full of life, transparent, he’d never tried to hide his nature behind some mask. ”