The year 2009 is remembered in Armenia’s cultural life by the unprecedented number of world famous – if old -- rock bands that visited the capital, and by Armenia’s feast of festivals. Let us stipulate that in this case “unprecedented” is to say 3. Still, it’s a start.

Legendary British rock band Jethro Tull rocked Armenia in May, in October, rock icon Uriah Heep performed for more than 4,000 fans in Yerevan.

Within the framework of ‘Rock Aid Armenia’ project fans had a chance to enjoy the performances of Ian Gillan (soloist of Deep Purple) and Tony Iommi (guitarist of Black Sabbath), who arrived in Armenia to receive Medals of Honor by the Government of Armenia for their contribution in the reconstruction of Spitak calamity zone. They only received the awards.

The year concluded with happy news for rockers that next May 25, Deep Purple will smoke the water and fire the sky.

In Diaspora 2009 was a year of rock, too: System of a Down’ Serj Tankian, participated in the annual Armenian Music Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month.

This year was also marked with an abundance of various festivals. About 30 festivals were held in Armenia from July till the end of autumn (High Fest, Open Music Fest, ReAnimania International Animation Film Festival, Shakespeare International Festival, Arevordi Environmental Film Festival, etc.).

Open Music Fest was a novelty among these festivals, when an open festival was held for the first time in Yerevan with more than 150 artists performing in the 800-seat summer open hall of Moscow Cinema.

“This was the festival which created a serious and healthy forum for artists, something that our reality lacked,” said creator of festival Aram Gharabekian, Artistic Director of the National Chamber Orchestra.

The maestro believes that one of the peculiarities of the festival was the possibility of combining different music genres – jazz, classical, avant-garde, folk, improvisational, and rock.

This summer, too, Golden Apricot International Film Festival (having six years of history), continued to get sweeter, bringing 110 films from 40 countries.

“This festival confirmed its existence, once again making our life a film for a whole week,” Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister of Culture of Armenia told ArmeniaNow.

In 2009, for the first time, representatives of the Armenian cinematography participated in the film fair of the Cannes International Film Festival, presenting about 30 feature films, short and animation films created in 2006-2009.

The year of 2009 was productive for the Armenian ballet, too: after 18 years of break, great Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian’s ‘Spartacus’ ballet was staged in Yerevan's State Academic Opera and Ballet’s Spendiaryan Theatre. Famous Russian ballet master Yuri Grigorovich arrived in Armenia to direct the production. His ‘Spartacus’, staged in 1968, is considered to be the best in the world up to now.

“It is quite easy when different artists visit Armenia and leave, however, it is more difficult when you have to create your own production, and in this respect I consider ‘Spartacus’ to be a great achievement, because the absence of such a ballet performance was a great shortcoming for us,” Minister Poghosyan said.

American-Armenian Rudolf Kharatian, head of ‘Arka’ Ballet School in the US, currently works in Armenia on the minister’s invitation. In 2008, after seven years of break, he refreshed the repertoire of the Ballet Theatre with two performances – ‘Tango’ and ‘Vardanank’. Now Kharatian aims to increase the number of ballet performances in Armenia.

Armenia’s cultural community has been in anticipation of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, since it was grandly announced in 2002, with expected completion by 2007. The massive project called for a renovation of Yerevan’s Cascade upon which would be crowned an internationally-unique museum housing the multi-million dollar glass collection of its philanthropist namesake Gerard L. Cafesjian.

Two years past its projected deadline, the main museum is still on the drawing board, but the infusion of about $35 million and years of peoplepower by the Cafesjian Foundation has transformed the Cascade from a dank and crumbling pedestrian staircase, into a scenic gathering place for residents and visitors, marked by a statue garden in Tamanian Park with pieces from world-renowned sculptors including Fernando Botero.

And in early November, the first gallery in the complex was opened, featuring the unveiling of a glass installation entitled “Libensky Brychtova: For Armenia”, a piece specially designed and installed by Czech artist Jaroslava Brychtová who, with her late husband Stanislav Libensky, has created more than 100 pieces in the considerable Cafesjian collection.

According to press information released by the Center:

“Many of the works in ‘For Armenia’ resemble Armenia’s own traditional khachkar, infusing the work with spiritual meaning and forming a tangible link between the artists and the land they have grown to admire. The Libenský Brychtová relationship with Armenia dates back to the 1980s, when the artists studied the culture and history of Armenia. The devastation of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia had a profound impact on the artists, resulting in the creation of the triptych (three-sided sculpture) Silhouettes of the Town (1989).”

“I think the Armenian public will appreciate and understand what we are expressing in our art,” said Brychtova as she planned to attend the unveiling of the installation and inauguration of the Center.

By the end of the year the Government of Japan confirmed it would provide technical equipment costing 27,900,000 yens ($306,590) to the National Gallery of Armenia, which will be used to upgrade its artifacts restoration workshop. As a result of this assistance, the paintings will be restored, as well as modern equipment for its workshop that restores wood artifacts will be purchased.

It is noteworthy that the budget of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia was 7,125,562,500 drams ($18,500,000) in 2008, and 8,208,827,600 drams ($21,300,000) – in 2009.