Ruben Gazarian

With the premiere of the new production of Eugen d’Albert’s “The Dead Eyes”, conducted by GMD Ruben Gazarian, the Theater Altenburg Gera was the focus of attention among opera experts at the end of March 2025. The enthusiastic premiere audience celebrated all those involved with long ovations.

PRESS QUOTES:

• Die Deutsche Bühne (Joachim Lange), March 2025
• A magical moment in musical theatre
• “Ruben Gazarian and the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera paint a fascinating soundscape, rich colors of which are just as captivating as its lyrical and soft tones.”
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• Concerti & Neue Musikzeitung (Roland H. Dippel), March 2025
• Hypnotically overwhelming music
• “It was yet another evening where the Altenburg Gera Theater left us amazed and in awe. A phenomenal rediscovery or redemption from the threshold of modernity, a brilliant ensemble in top form, a luminous philharmonic orchestra, a passionate and intelligent conductor, and a general director who staged the ambiguous and astonishingly well-constructed plot about the fatal and comforting consequences of a miracle performed by Jesus with suggestive honesty. The premiere of Eugen d’Albert’s musical drama “The Dead Eyes” was a resounding success, with almost a quarter of an hour of final applause. […]
• The explosive events never descend into exalted bombast. This is a real art in d’Albert’s high-gloss score, precisely because Kuntze and GMD Ruben Gazarian, conducting with considered enthusiasm, unanimously love this opera. Gazarian articulates this love with a singer-friendly coordination and telepathic trust in the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, which played at a high level not only on this premiere evening. Symbolic-decadent shivers of delight were intended and achieved.”
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• Operalounge (Rolf Fath), April 2025
• The special opera
• “The musical material is exhilarating, which the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, under its eminent principal conductor Ruben Gazarian, relished with a pleasant sound and fine lines in the artful instrumentation. […] Long and heartfelt applause for the formidable performance of this rediscovery.”
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• Deutschlandfunk Kultur (Uwe Friedrich), March 2025
• Finally performed again
• “The orchestra, conducted with wonderful confidence by GMD Ruben Gazarian, shows great courage in the piani, but is also able to beautifully render the big sound in this lush, harmonically sophisticated music.”
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• Opernfreund (Jochen Rüth), March 2025
• The Dead Eyes
• “This musical kaleidoscope was brilliantly unveiled yesterday evening by the GMD of the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian Ruben Gazarian, with the utmost precision, painting d’Albert’s intoxicating music – entirely in keeping with the subject matter – in the most colorful hues.”
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• Der neue Merker (Christoph Suhre), April 2025
• Gera: “The Dead Eyes”
• “The Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ruben Gazarian, gave a magnificent performance. The diverse timbres of the score were brought to life in an excellent manner. The
• music is characterized by great contrasts and thus harmonizes wonderfully with the action on stage. Although there were a few moments of dense sound, I never felt that this was at the expense of the singers.”
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• Orpheus (Roberto Becker), May-June 2025
• When appearances deceive
• “Ruben Gazarian, the general music director of the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, and his musicians transform it into a magnificent soundscape with a fabulous ensemble of protagonists.”
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• Art5drei (Martin Köhl), March 2025
• The Altenburg Gera Theater pulls off a major feat
• “Musically, this production is carried by Ruben Gazarian’s clever conducting. The variety of colors and the rich sound coming from the orchestra pit are simply impressive.”
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• MDR Klassik (Werner Kopfmüller), March 2025
• The Dead Eyes
• “Under the baton of Ruben Gazarian, the Philharmonic Orchestra offers all the beauty of late Romantic orchestral sound: luminous, colorful, smooth, even impressionistically dazzling soundscapes. My conclusion: definitely go and see it. It’s worth it!”
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• Opera Journal.CZ (Václav Bečvář), April 2025
• A mystery called “The Dead Eyes” in Gera, Germany
• “The musical adaptation of “The Dead Eyes” at the Theater Gera was entrusted to GMD Ruben Gazarian, who brought d’Albert’s legacy to life in a captivating way. In his interpretation, performed by the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, the score took on a captivating magic full of mysterious moods, contrasts, striking dramatic gestures, and intense emotional outbursts.”
  
• Photos: Ronny Ristok