AZG Armenian Daily #068, 16/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

TCHGNAVORIAN BACK WITH A PROGRAM

Loris Tchgnavorian who has been absent from Armenia for 5 years now will
arrive in Yerevan with a special program for the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. “Christ’s Life” midnight concert will open his program at
the Chamber Music Hall at 00:00, April 24. Sharakans (Armenian spiritual
music) in Tchgnavorian’s working will be performed by a male chorus. After
the concert, a procession of candle bearers will take its way to the
Monument of Genocide Victims. The chorus will sing “Morning Prayer”
sharakans of Nerses Shnorhali at the monument at sunrise.

The maestro informed about the coming events during a briefing at the Home
of Journalists yesterday. Loris Tchgnavorian, who considers himself only
half Western Armenian (his mother was from Erzrum and fled to Iran during
the Genocide and father was from Ashtarak), did not talk much but said that
since his sad childhood he had a sensitive attitude towards proscription.

His first composition dedicated to the Genocide was written in 1965 on the
50th anniversary and the third one will be an oratory on themes from the
Bible book of Revelation for the 100th anniversary. In several days, a
25-minut-long film issued in 1000 copies due to the maestro on historic
evidence of the Genocide accompanied with the music of “Havatamq” symphony
will be shown.

“Christ’s Life” oratory was first performed in London in 1975.

“Lucid choral performance of Armenian spiritual music in the quiet room of a
church. Loris Tchgnavorian’s ‘Christ’s Life’ presents 70 minutes of
wonderful experience”, Austrian Kronen Zeitung wrote.

By Melania Badalian