CONDUCTOR LORIS CHGNAVORIAN SPEAKS FOR KEEPING RA PRESENT HYMN

TEHRAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Famous conductor
and composer Loris Chgnavorian sent a letter of complaint to Hasmik
Poghosian, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, on
the occasion of change of the RA hymn and the competition announced
for a new hymn. The Tehran Armenian "Alik" daily informs about it,
mentioning L.Chganvorian’s great contribution in 1991 in the affair of
proclaiming the "Mer Hayrenik" (Our Fatherland) hymn as the RA national
hymn. To judge from the letter, L.Chgnavorian presented a claim for
participation in the competition, by sending a little changed variant
of the present hymn ("Mer Hayrenik" Our Fatherland). It is particularly
said in the letter dated for July 26: "Dear Mrs.Poghosian, I address to
You on the occasion of a too important issue for our people, the hymn
of the Republic of Armenia. I propose for the announced competition the
acting "Mer Hayrenik" anthem of the Republic of Armenia and present
attached to the letter the notes and the recording. I propose it as
it has a national and historic meaning.

I want to stress that it has never been sung with the "wretched,
ownerless" ("tshvar, anter") text, but our fighters (fidayi, in
Armenian war of liberation against the Turks) and heros sang it with
the text "everywhere death is one" (amenayn tegh mah mi e) for example
in the 1915 Van heroic war and our May 26 battle, the result of what
is our Armenia of today. It has been the hymn of two republics,
1918 and 1991, and has never been sung with the text "wretched,
ownerless." I must also stress that "Mer Hayrenik" is national and
revolutionary music and has a wonderful soul and stragers are fond
of it as well. I have a hope that pages of the history will not be
changed by competitions.

Giving preference to "Mer Hayrenik" and taking into account that my
colleagues participate in this competition, I want to participate with
them with the work written on my words and music. I present attached
to the letter the notes and recording of my work as well."