I am in the final stretch of my time in Armenia. I don’t feel the urgency to see and do all that I can in the way that I did at the beginning of my trip. I am enjoying the luxury of meandering, and letting what will come my way. (This was the case before as well, but even more so now.I have also finished miniature painting classes and dropped my language classes, which freed up a bit more time.)
I set out for the Komitas Museum in the afternoon, walking in the direction of Shengavit, which is new to me. Along the way, I went through Yerevan 2800th Anniversary Park (Vardanyan’s Park). I was impressed by the fountain and the beautiful sculptures, but wish I had read more about it beforehand. I might have paid more attention to the 70 species of trees planted, the map of Yerevan and ornamental designs carved into seven types of granite, and the 76 benches decorated in Urartian style. I am awed by the beauty of the city parks in Yerevan.
Back to Komitas! It is a very well-curated gallery, with Komitas’ story, composers duuring his time, artifacts from his life, and art by Sureniants and other Armenians . It includes some portraiture of him by his one-time apartment roommate Panos Terlemezian. (Terlemezian’s representations of Komitas may well be how we visualize him best.)
The gallery was a pleasure, not just because it was housed in such a beautiful building, but also because it was so peaceful and inviting. Very few visitors were about, which made it easy to immerse myself in Komitas’ world. The surprise was in the lower gallery, where their artist-in- residence is working on a statue of Komitas. Lousnak is a Canadian Armenian from Montreal, and we had a lovely conversation. We made plans to visit a Aguletsi Gallery the next day.
I then went to visit the Komitas Park and Pantheon outside the museum, where many famous Armenians are buried, including Komitas. The memorial sculptures are very unique. (Many of the figures are found in this wiki link.)
I then met Boris and Marina at the AVC in order to introduce them to the office and register for a hike this Friday. (They are interested in volunteering in some capacity!) After, we went on to enjoy a few HighFest performances. One of these was a puppet show by Iranian puppeteers at the National Puppet Theatre. At all the performances I have been to, I am always struck by the responsiveness of the audience. Everyone instantly joins in with singing, clapping and whatever else is appropriate for the moment!
Anna-Lea and her daughter Johanna were at the performance, and asked me to take a taxi with them back to ICA. I chose to walk, as the weather is still beautiful in the evenings. A few grocery stops later, I was back at home, enjoying an Armenian coffee and chatting with my mom!
