At Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Giacomo Puccini’s “Il Tabarro” (The Cloak) and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.”

“We present about 2-3 operas annually, and most important is the right choice of singers,” says director Eduard Topchyan.

Arsen Soghomonyan, who lives in Moscow, will perform the role of the Canio in “Pagliacci” opera, who, by the way, started his carrer with the Philharmonic. At that time, he was a baritone, and after only a year and a half, the singer acts as a tenor. Baritoneal tenor is a rare phenomenon and this is a great success, says the conductor.

Soprano Anna Kasyan, who will perform Nedda’s role, was a real revelation for Topchyan. He applied to Anna by Serzh Smbatyan’s advice, he heard her and admired.

The singer was born in Tbilisi and lives in France, and she is in Armenia for the first time. Her playlist includes more than twenty roles, from Mozart to Verdi and she has no lack of invitations from the world’s best theaters. She agreed with great pleasure to take part in the performance, and even canceled the concert in London.

Unlike Anna, Italian Baritone Gianpiero Ruggeri is in Armenia for the third time. “I’m not a Armenian,” he says, “but I do not feel myself as a stranger because Italians and Armenians are very similar in nature. Cooperation with this orchestra is a great pleasure. There is a professional approach to music here, which you cannot even find in many European theaters.”