The well-known Armenian conductor Ogan Duryan has died aged 87,
Armenian media report.
Duryan was considered the symbol of Armenian music and one of the
world’s greatest conductors.
Duryan was born in Jerusalem on September 8, 1922. In 1957 he moved to
Yerevan. In 1960-1965 he was the chief conductor of the Armenian State
Philarmonic. He became the head of the State Academic Theater of Opera
and Ballet of Alexander Spendiarov in 1971.
Duryan worked as conductor at the Leipzig Opera Theatre, where he
staged the operas ‘Don Carlos’ and ‘Duke Igor’ and conducted the
symphony orchestras in Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig in 1965-1969. He
worked with 110 symphonic orchestras all over the world. In 1967 he
became a People’s Artist of the Armenian Soviet Republic.
Duryan was dismissed from the State Academic Theatre of Opera and
Ballet of Alexander Spendiarov by the Armenian minister of culture in
2001. The minister said that his decision was due to the health
condition of the conductor. Many believe that the true reason was
Duryan’s support for the opposition.
Duryan considered the dismissal offensive and left Armenia. He was
granted French citizenship. The conductor headed the Moscow Symphonic
Orchestra of the Stas Namin Center in 2002-2006.
