AGBU France’s International Concert in Paris in Honor of the Armenian Genocide Now Online

The Armenian World Orchestra, directed by renowned conductor Alain Altinoglu, performs pieces by Aram Khachaturian, Komitas, Petrossian and Mozart

On April 21, 2015, AGBU France held an international concert entitled “Génocide arménien, 100 ans de mémoire : un concert pour la vie” [Armenian Genocide 100 Years of Memory: A Concert for Life] in honor of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The concert took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and featured pieces by Aram Khachaturian, Komitas, Michel Petrossian and Mozart. It was performed by the Armenian World Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians of all ages from Armenia and throughout the Armenian diaspora, and led by renowned French Armenian conductor Alain Altinoglu.

Held under the patronage of French President François Hollande and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the concert drew more than 1900 members of the French Armenian and wider Parisian community and was a testament to the strong relationship among France, Armenia and the Armenian diaspora: “The concert commemorates the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, which France officially recognized in a law passed on January 29, 2001. Denial is intolerable, because it represents a double insult: one toward the victims and another toward truth. As long as this historical reality continues to be denied, the struggle for recognition will remain. France will always be at your side to continue this effort in the spirit of dialogue and peace,” wrote Hollande in his concert message.

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo echoed President Hollande’s commitment to nurturing close ties: “The support that the city of Paris brings to this benefit concert is proof [of France’s engagement in the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide]. At the same time, it is a way to recognize the great organization that is the AGBU. I would like to thank the president of AGBU France Philippe Panossian for his work to honor the memory of all victims of genocide. Know that you can count on my unwavering support throughout my term as mayor.”

AGBU President Berge Setrakian also sent his well wishes for the concert: “A Concert for Life is a magnificent project in that it illustrates the Armenian people’s will to survive and its love for culture, music and creativity. It solidifies the historic mission of the organization, which succeeds in preserving Armenian culture and identity in a spirit of renaissance, faith and hope in the future of its people.”

The program began with opening remarks by AGBU France President Philippe Panossian, who explained the organization’s goals in organizing the concert: “Through the universal language of music, AGBU France pays homage to the victims of the genocide, honors their memory and raises awareness in younger generations about the history and legacy that their ancestors left them, teaching them to see it as precious for the future. Tonight, we are the bearers of a message of exchange, brotherhood and hope—a message conveyed through music, which has always had a special place in Armenian culture. 100 years after the event that diverted the course of Armenian history, the Armenian World Orchestra is proof that the Armenian people continue and will continue to assert their creative identity in France, Armenia and throughout the world.”

The concert featured Aram Khachaturian’s Masquarade, the traditional folk pieces Groung and Akh Maral Djan by Komitas arranged for the duduk and Ciel à vif, an original piece composed especially for the concert by French Armenian classical composer Michel Petrossian. Ciel à vif— written for choir, orchestra and trio concertant (violin, violoncello and piano)—“seeks to question the apparent absence of God during the Armenian Genocide” by incorporating religious and secular texts and motifs in Armenian, English, French, Greek, Hebrew and Latin. After an intermission, the concert continued with Mozart’s Requiem en Ré mineur, KV 626.

The pieces were performed by soprano Hasmik Papian, mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch, tenor Liparit Avetisyan, basso Tigran Martirossian, pianist Vahan Mardirossian, cellist Xavier Phillips, and violinist Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian along with members of the Armenian World Orchestra and the Coro Gulbenkian, a symphonic choir based in Portugal.

The concert’s live broadcast at the Yerevan State Opera House and on Armenia TV, a satellite station serving Europe and Russia, was made possible by the French Embassy in Yerevan and the Orange Foundation Armenia. It was also streamed live online at culturebox.francetvinfo.fr, where it is now available to watch in its entirety at http://culturebox.francetvinfo.fr/live/musique/musique-classique/genocide-armenien-100-ans-de-memoire-soiree-musicale-216129

For more information about the Armenian World Orchestra, please visit http://awo2015.com

For more information about AGBU France, please visit http://ugabfrance.org/