• By norman lebrecht
• on

The soprano Ruzan Mantashyan, ousted from the Dresden Opera Ball after the Azeri tenor Yusif Eyvazov allegedly refused to sing with an Armenian, was last night reinstated.

The Semper Opernball announced: The 30-year-old soprano, born in Yerevan, will sing Tatyana’s great aria from the opera Eugen Onegin by Peter Tchaikovsky in Dresden. ‘The Semper Opera Ball follows its general philosophy of speaking the language of art, bringing artists and cultural workers together and building bridges between nations, cultures and perspectives,’ said Hans-Joachim Frey, first Chairman of the Semper Opera Ball. ‘I am pleased that Ruzan Mantashyan has finally been able to accept a role in Dresden and that all other artists and colleagues who appear at the ball also support this. Mantashyan will be with the MDR Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kristjan Järvi together with performers such as the tenor Yusif Eyvazov, the violinist Pavel Milyukov, the soprano Julia Muzychenko, the pianist Alexander Kashpurin etc.’

Ruzan writes: I was convinced that culture knows no borders and I’m glad this belief is shared by so many people who supported me with their words and deeds these past few days. I am pleased to inform my listeners that on February 7th, I will sing Tatiana’s aria at the Dresden Opera Ball.’