YEREVAN — In times of political conflict, where aggressive forces wield superior military and geopolitical power to subjugate weaker forces, the strategic choice the latter face often appears as between appeasement and resistance.
In the small town of Nor Hachn, Armenia, a children’s opera recently premiered its musical-theatrical contribution to this age-old debate. Taking a page from a fairy tale written by beloved national poet Hovhannes Tumanyan (1869-1923), “Chari Verjeh,” or “The End of Evil,” Garen Garibyan, founder and director of the children’s opera group, has presented a powerful depiction of the struggle against tyranny, in which the intended victims, unified in defying an insidious aggressor, fight for their rights and claim victory.
Garibyan, who had worked for decades in America as a singer, actor and director, returned to Armenia after independence and in 1992 set up the Shushi Music School and Music School Society. His work with children flourished until 2020 with Azerbaijan’s aggression. He moved with his staff, the children and all theater requisites to Stepanakert and started anew. The second music school, inaugurated in 2022, lasted only a year, again due to Azerbaijani aggression. In September 2023, they joined the rest of the Artsakh population on the deportation route to Armenia. This time they left everything behind, except personal belongings they could carry.
Refusing to capitulate to depression, Garibyan and his wife appealed to earlier supporters in Germany for financial help. The Association for the Promotion of an Ecumenical Memorial to Genocide Victims in the Ottoman Empire (FÖGG), co-founded by human rights proponent Tessa Hofmann, fundraised to provide resources to restart his opera project. The Mirak-Weissbach Foundation also joined the campaign. This time, refugee children from Artsakh joined with local youngsters and the group of 35 young musicians started singing and acting under Garibyan’s direction.
The first opera they produced and performed in spring of 2024, was also inspired by Tumanyan; entitled, “The Wolf,” it also depicted the struggle between good and evil.
The plot of the new opera, “The End of Evil,” presents a familiar conflict between a tyrannical ruler and his subjects. At first, they try to control his wrath by appeasing him, but to no avail. Only with the arrival of an outsider endowed with wisdom does the strategy shift. The outsider rejects the ruler’s ultimatum, deploys wisdom instead of sacrifices, and succeeds in leading the tyrant to his downfall.
