OPERA SPENDIARIAN

This grey stone building built by Tamanian in the neo-Armenian style (for which he won first prize at the 1936 Paris Universal Exhibition) has two halls, one for opera and ballet (1,260 seats), the other for concerts by the philharmonic orchestra (1,400 seats). Armen Tigranian's opera Anouche, inspired by Toumanian who has his statue in the square, is one of the classics of Armenian lyric art, along with Donizetti's Polyeucte, which sings about the conversion of the King of Armenia. A classical repertoire, even though Aznavour performed there.