Yerevan Opera House: The Unfinished Dream of Alexander Tamanian
The National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan, designed by architect Alexander Tamanian, opened in January 1933 with Spendiaryan's opera Almast. Tamanian envisioned Yerevan as a radial city of pink tuff stone with views of Mount Ararat, but post-Soviet development has left his vision fragmented. The theatre, completed in 1953 by his son Gevorg Tamanian, features an elliptical plan with two halls: the Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Hall (1,400 seats) and the opera hall (1,200 seats). It won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition. The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1925, celebrates its centenary. The theatre's repertoire includes Khachaturian's ballet Gayane (1942), which originally carried Soviet ideological themes but now presents a simplified love story. The building was restored in 2001 and remains a cultural hub.
Key facts
- The National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan was designed by Alexander Tamanian and opened in January 1933.
- The theatre's construction began in 1930 and was completed in 1953 under Gevorg Tamanian.
- The building has two halls: the Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Hall (1,400 seats) and the opera hall (1,200 seats).
- The theatre won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition.
- The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1925 and celebrates its centenary.
- Khachaturian's ballet Gayane (1942) originally featured Soviet ideological themes but now tells a simplified love story.
- The theatre was restored in 2001.
- Tamanian's original urban plan for Yerevan included radial axes, concentric rings, and pink tuff stone buildings.
Entities
Artists
- Alexander Tamanian
- Gevorg Tamanian
- Alexander Spendiaryan
- Aram Khachaturian
- Arshak Adamian
- Federico Silvio Bellanca
Institutions
- National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet
- Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra
- Yerevan Conservatory
- Artribune
Locations
- Yerevan
- Armenia
- Mount Ararat
- Republic Square
- Cascade
- Paris
- France