When My Sorrow Died: Documentary about Armen Ra and the theremin to have Minnesota debut

When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra & the Theremin began as an Indiegogo project by director Robert Nazar Arjoyan. Although the documentary barely reached its crowdfunding goal, it is now making the rounds at film festivals across the country. The award-winning film tells the story of one of the most famous theremin performers, Armen Ra, and the birth of his eclectic style influenced by classical operas, Armenian folk music, and the New York City drag scene.

Arjovan skillfully blends interviews with Ra and his family, footage of Ra's performances, and home videos from Ra's youth to give an intimate and illuminating view of the entertainer's work. Armen Ra has been described as an alchemist, turning sorrow and struggle into unique and emotive instrumentals. Ra is pictured in the film performing classical arias, such as the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute and Alfredo Catalani's "Ebben? Ne andro lontana." His performances are also known for technical skill as well as elaborate visuals, makeup, and costumes.

The theremin is in electronic musical instrument invented in Russia in 1928. Known for being the only musical instrument that is played without being touched, it works with electromagnetic fields from two antennae — one controls the pitch and the other controls the volume. It has been used in early TV and movie soundtracks (Miklos Rozsa's Spellbound), modern classical music (Bohuslav Martinů and Dmitri Shostakovich), and psychedelic rock (Jimmy Page used a variation of the theremin in some Led Zeppelin performances).

Ra plays songs from a number of genres, from Chopin nocturnes to Frank Sinatra. He has performed at the United Nations, a comic book convention, Brooklyn's Knitting Factory, and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, and garnered endorsements from celebrities and artists such as Debbie Harry and Nick Cave.

The film traces Ra's life, starting with his family's origins in the fine art and music scene of Tehran, where Ra was born. He attended operas and symphonies in Tehran with his "opera diva" (in Ra's words) aunt and travelled Europe with his mother, a concert pianist, and his father, a jazz enthusiast.

The Iranian Revolution of 1978 forced Ra's family to flee the country and move to America, where they settled in Boston. Ra was tormented in school for his effeminate mannerisms and theatrical behavior, and was eventually expelled for retaliating against his bullies. He then ran away to New York City, where he found acceptance among drag queens and club kids.

Ra began to perform in drag — explaining that the drag queens' big personalities, makeup, and smell of hairspray reminded him of his childhood experiences backstage at operas with his aunt. Ra didn't feel creatively fulfilled as a drag performer, though, and became heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. Discovering the theremin gave Ra new purpose and helped him through a number of tragedies that befell his loved ones. Ra's focus on mastering the theremin motivated him to stop drinking and create an album of recorded theremin music — and eventually landed him a slot opening for Nick Cave on tour.

Arjouyan weaves Ra's tale together into a stirring story of fate, spirituality, loss, and music, with beautifully shot footage of Ra's extravagant performances. At the end of this emotional journey, Ra says, "I don't know enough to explain physics or spirituality...I know that I know nothing, and at the end of the day there's really nothing to know." He lets his music do the talking.

When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra will have its Minnesota premiere at McNally Smith College of Music this Saturday, Nov. 15 as part of the Sound Unseen Film & Music Festival.

Kyra Herning, a writer based in Chicago, is a recent graduate of Macalester College.

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