Armenpress News Agency , Armenia December 9, 2017 Saturday Armenian Ambassador meets with Lebanese minister of economy and trade YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Samvel Mkrtchyan on December 7 had a meeting with minister of economy and trade Raed Khoury, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. At the meeting the Ambassador presented the Armenian government’s comprehensive steps taken over the last year aimed at improving the investment environment and making it more attractive and easy for the businessmen. The meeting also touched upon the opportunities of the EAEU single market, as well as the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement signed between Armenia and the EU on November 24 of this year, the privileged trade regime and the free economic zone with Iran. The Lebanese minister introduced the overall economic situation of the country to the Ambassador, the existing domestic and regional threats, the upcoming positive trends and prospects. He expressed readiness to assist in boosting the Lebanese-Armenian economic ties.
Category: 2017
Barrack, castles, mosques: Balyan family left a significant trace in Istanbul’s architecture
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia December 9, 2017 Saturday Barrack, castles, mosques: Balyan family left a significant trace in Istanbul's architecture YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Balyan family has left a significant trace in Istanbul’s architecture. Armenian specialists have studied the archival documents reached from Italy to Armenia and the history of the architectural works of the Balyans has been summed up in the “Treasures of the gardens of the Armenian People: Balyans” book. Chief Scientific-Secretary of the A. Tamanyan National Museum-Institute of Architecture Ashot Grigoryan told a press conference in ARMENPRESS that hundreds of buildings have been built in Istanbul by the Balyan family. “The Balyans were very famous architects in Turkey, but their Armenian ethnicity was rejected for many years. They were presented as Italian architects. We have found the Balyans’ archive in Italy and transferred it to Armenia with a great difficulty. Initially, it seemed we could study it very quickly and publicize it, but when we started the work, we understood that it’s quite a hard work. The archival documents were written in French, Turkish, Western Armenian most of which were difficult to read. These documents have not been circulated in any way for more than 100 years”, Ashot Grigoryan said. The DolmabahçePalace of Istanbul, as well as a barrack, castles, mosques, reservoirs have been built by the Balyans. Ashot Grigoryan said the Balyans cooperated with the Armenian specialists and they mainly worked with Armenians during the construction of buildings. Some of these buildings have been burnt for different reasons, some have been changed, but most of them have been maintained. At the moment the book is being translated into Turkish to be spread within the Turkish universities and academic circles. “A little was talked about the Balyans in Armenia. Thanks to the translations the whole world should be aware that many buildings in Istanbul have been built by Armenians. The book solves a problem of recognition and preservation of the Armenian culture”, Ashot Grigoryan said.
Iran: US move aimed at legitimizing Israeli occupation
Iran Daily December 9, 2017 Saturday Iran: US move aimed at legitimizing Israeli occupation "Occupation of the Palestinian land lies at the root of all crises in our region and any action to deny the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including with regard to the holy city of Al-Quds and particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, will only result in more bloodshed and rage," Khoshroo said in an address to a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York on Friday. He added that bids aimed at legitimizing the Israeli occupation in the Middle East region by rejecting the historical realities would "gravely" undermine peace, Press TV reported. Iran strongly condemns the US recognition of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the Israeli regime's capital and the plan to transfer the US Embassy to this holy city, he said. The Iranian envoy emphasized that the "unilateral" act constitutes a "grave violation of international law," as any territorial acquisition resulting from the use of force is illegal. "The US action is not only illegal but also indicates how hypocritical its policy is with regard to the peace and stability in the Middle East," Khoshroo said. He added that the international community holds the US and the Israeli regime responsible for "all dangerous consequences of this reckless and illegal act." "Throughout history, occupation and peace have never gone hand in hand. The case at hand is no exception, and there can be no peace and justice as long as the occupation of the Palestinian land continues," he pointed out. Large groups of Iranians took to the streets across the country to protest against the US move. An Iranian Armenian religious leader and the country's Armenian lawmakers decried the controversial decision by the US president, Tasnim News Agency reported. In a statement on Saturday, the Armenian Orthodox prelate of the diocese of Tehran, Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, denounced Trump's decision as a "wrong and cruel" move that is unacceptable to the followers of Christianity and Islam. The holy city of Quds, the cradle of monotheistic religions, will remain as an indispensable part of Palestine, he said, warning that Trump's move undermines efforts to establish peace and safeguard the rights of Palestinians to gain independence. Moreover, two Iranian Armenian parliamentarians, Karen Khanlari and Jorjik Abramian, condemned the US decision to relocate its embassy to Quds as a move against international regulations and historical and political facts. They also warned that the move by the US administration has been induced by the international Zionism. The US president on Wednesday defied global warnings and said Washington formally recognizes Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the "capital" of Israel, and will begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy despite widespread international opposition. Israel has occupied East Beit-ul-Moqaddas since the 1967 Six-Day War. It annexed the area in 1980 and sees it as its exclusive domain. Under international law, the area is considered to be occupied territory.
ANCC Highlights the Alarming Situation of the Rohingya Community in Annual Statement on Human Rights Day – Journée des droits de l’homme: Le CNAC souligne la situation alarmante des Rohingya dans sa déclaration annuelle
Armenian
National Committee of Canada
Comité
National Arménien du Canada
Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622
E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]
www.anccanada.org
-PRESS RELEASE-
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2017 Contact: Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622
Ottawa — The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) joins with all
Canadians in marking International Human Rights Day and the 69th anniversary of
the adoption of the UN Convention on Genocide. As an organization that has been
at the forefront of human rights advocacy and genocide awareness, the ANCC is
committed to upholding the ideals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and end all human rights abuses around the world.
“Today, we stand firm in our belief that all human beings, irrespective
of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and background are
entitled with equal and unassailable rights while believing that the persistent
advancement of those rights will make the world safer and more prosperous for
us all”, said Shahen Mirakian, President of the ANCC.
As we work together to eliminate all human rights abuses around the
world, we ought to realize that there still remains considerable challenges and
obstacles ahead of us.
“On this day, we call upon the international community to follow
Canada’s example of actively monitoring and responding to the alarming
situation of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, who continue to be denied some of
the most basic human rights” said Mirakian.
Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Orthodox Church,
His Holliness Aram I said, "What's happening in Myanmar against the
Rohingya Community is a genocide. Harrowing stories of rape, violence, hunger,
persecution, massacre are not just horrifying words or imagination but concrete
facts. Indeed, history repeats itself"
Despite considerable international pressure, the Myanmar Military
continues to mercilessly deprive the innocent population of its fundamental
freedoms, while attempting to advance a state-sponsored policy of ethnic cleansing
and genocide.
“We are proud that the current Government of Canada highlighted these
kinds of issues within the realm of politics, however, when we elevate the
standards of moral issues to the highest grounds, we need to have a principled
stance on all issues equally” said Mirakian.
Last year, after extensive deliberations, the Canadian government
recognized the atrocities faced by the Yezidi minority in Iraq and Syria as an
act of Genocide.
“While we commend the government’s rightful decision on the Yezidi
issue, we urge them to follow the same example and reasoning in recognizing the
Pontic Greek and Assyrian Genocides of the early 20th century and
the ongoing genocidal atrocities that are being committed against the Assyrians
and other Christian minorities in Iraq and Syria today” added Mirakian.
“As we decry repression and violence anywhere
around the world, we stand resolute in our fight against injustice and
reinstate our commitment to our shared values of respect, tolerance and justice”
-30-
******
The ANCC is the largest and the most influential
Canadian-Armenian grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the
concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues and
works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada and the world.
Armenian
National Committee of Canada
Comité
National Arménien du Canada
Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622
E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]
www.anccanada.org
– Communiqué de presse–
9 décembre 2017 Contact: Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622
Ottawa – Le 10 décembre 2017, le Comité
national arménien du Canada (CNAC) se joint à tous les Canadiens pour souligner
la Journée internationale des droits de la personne et le 69ème anniversaire de
l'adoption de la Convention des Nations Unies sur le génocide. En tant
qu'organisation qui place la défense des droits de la personne et la
sensibilisation au génocide à l'avant-plan de ses priorités, le CNAC s'engage à
défendre les idéaux de la Déclaration universelle des droits de la personne et
à mettre fin à toutes les violations des droits de la personne partout dans le
monde.
"Aujourd'hui, nous sommes convaincus que
tous les êtres humains, quels que soient leur race, leur religion, leur origine
ethnique, leur orientation sexuelle et leurs antécédents, jouissent de droits
égaux et incontestables, et nous croyons que le progrès continu de ces droits
rendra le monde plus sûr et prospère pour nous tous ",- a déclaré Shahen
Mirakian, président du CNAC.
Alors que nous travaillons ensemble pour
éliminer toutes les violations des droits de la personne dans le monde, nous
devons réaliser qu'il reste encore des défis et des obstacles considérables à
surmonter. «En ce jour, nous appelons
la communauté internationale à suivre l'exemple du Canada pour surveiller
activement et réagir à la situation alarmante des musulmans Rohingya au
Myanmar, qui continuent à se voir refuser certains des droits humains les plus
fondamentaux»,- a souligné Mirakian.
Le catholicos de la Grande Maison de Cilicie de
l'Eglise apostolique arménienne, Sa Sainteté Aram I a déclaré: "Ce qui se
passe au Myanmar contre la Communauté Rohingya est un génocide. Les histoires
déchirantes de viol, de violence, de famine, de persécution et de massacre ne sont
pas seulement des mots horrifiants ou issus de l'imagination mais des faits
concrets … En effet, l'histoire se répète".
Malgré une pression internationale
considérable, l'armée du Myanmar continue de priver sans pitié la population
innocente de ses libertés fondamentales, tout en essayant de promouvoir une
politique de nettoyage ethnique et de génocide parrainée par l'État.
«Nous sommes fiers que le gouvernement actuel
du Canada a mis en lumière des problèmes actuels de ce genre dans le domaine de
la politique. Toutefois, lorsque nous élevons les normes morales au plus haut
niveau, nous devons adopter une position de principe à l'égard de toutes les
questions existantes»,- a déclaré Mirakian. .
L'année dernière, après de longues
délibérations, le gouvernement canadien a reconnu les atrocités commises contre
la minorité yézidie en Irak et en Syrie comme un acte de génocide.
"Tout en saluant la décision légitime du
gouvernement sur la question yézidie, nous les exhortons à suivre le même
exemple et raisonnement en reconnaissant les génocides des Grecs pontiques et
des Assyriens commis au début du 20ème
siècle, ainsi que les atrocités génocidaires en cours de nos jours contre les
Assyriens et les autres minorités chrétiennes en Irak et en Syrie",- a
conclu Mirakian.
Alors que nous dénonçons la répression et la
violence partout dans le monde, nous restons déterminés dans notre combat
contre l’injustice et rétablissons notre engagement envers nos valeurs communes
de respect, de tolérance et de justice.
-30-
******
Le CNAC
est l’organisation politique canadienne-arménienne la plus large
et influente au Canada. Le CNAC s'occupe activement de représenter le point de
vue collectif arméno-canadien sur les questions
d'intérêt public, et de soutenir et promouvoir les questions relatives aux
droits de l'homme au Canada et à l'échelle internationale. Le CNAC travaille en
étroite collaboration avec ses bureaux régionaux et des associations affiliées
à travers le Canada, ainsi qu'avec d'autres organisations arméniennes poursuivant
des objectifs similaires à travers le monde.
—
Sevag Belian – Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of Canada
T: (613) 235-2622 | C: (905) 329-8526
E:
Iran’s Armenian Archbishop, MPs condemn Trump’s Jerusalem statement
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 10 2017
Iran’s Armenian Archbishop, MPs condemn Trump’s Jerusalem statement
16:13, 09 Dec 2017
An Iranian Armenian religious leader and the country’s Armenian lawmakers have decried the decision by the US president to recognize Jerusalem as the new capital of Israeli, Tasnim News Agency reports.
In a statement on Saturday, the Armenian prelate of the diocese of Tehran, Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, denounced Trump’s decision as a “wrong and cruel” move that is unacceptable to the followers of Christianity and Islam.
The holy city of Jerusalem, the cradle of monotheistic religions, will remain as an indispensable part of Palestine, he said, warning that Trump’s move undermines efforts to establish peace and safeguard the rights of Palestinians to gain independence.
Moreover, two Iranian Armenian parliamentarians, Karen Khanlari and Jorjik Abramian, condemned the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem as a move against international regulations and historical and political facts.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
UN observes the International Day of Commemoration of Genocide Victims
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 10 2017
14:45, 09 Dec 2017
For the third time since 2015 a special event in observance of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime was held at the United Nations in New York on 8 December. The observance of the International Day commenced with a minute of silence in honour of the memory of the victims of Genocide. Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, representing the Secretary-General delivered opening remarks. Mr Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide delivered a keynote speech and launched a one year appeal for the universal ratification of the Genocide Convention. The panel featured Mr Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, Mr Jean-Claude Félix do Rego, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Benin to the UN, and Mr Martin Fode Seck, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Senegal to the UN. Ms Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, President of the International Criminal Court made remarks on the drafting of the Genocide Convention and its present challenges. In his remarks Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted that ‘there is a strong symbolism in determining 9 December as the International Day. Reaffirming the significance of the Convention as an effective international instrument for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, UN General Assembly Resolution 69/323 linked the International Day to the date of the adoption of the Convention. Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan further noted that “intolerance, xenophobia, racial and ethnic profiling, glorification of hate crimes, especially lead and encouraged by the political leaders within a state should be a concern to the entire international community and serve a clear early warning sign of potential conflict and atrocity crimes”. Stressing the importance of achieving universalization of the Genocide Convention, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan recalled that Armenia had proposed to launch a global campaign for raising the awareness of the Convention and calling upon those states that have not acceded to the Convention to do so by its 70th anniversary. He added that Armenia endorses, fully supports and commits to work together with the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in launching a one year appeal for the universal ratification of the Convention by the end of 2018. Representatives of UN member states, academic institutions, civil society organizations and media, as well as representatives of the Armenian-American community and school children attended the observance of the International Day. The event was widely publicized in the UN. Background: Upon the initiative of Armenia, in September 2015, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution 69/323 proclaiming 9 December as an International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. This landmark resolution followed up on resolution 28/34 of the UN Human Rights Council initiated by Armenia. The resolutions, which have led to the establishment of the Day, as well as the events held in its observance add to the continued efforts of Armenia to promote consolidated international action against the crime of genocide.
Armenians feel obliged to contribute to genocide prevention – FM
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 10 2017
15:02, 09 Dec 2017
“Armenians feel the moral obligation to contribute to the international efforts for prevention of genocides,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
“As we mark today the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide we join our voice with all those who strive to ensure that “never again” is a solemn promise that is universally respected and kept,” Minister Nalbandian said.
“As a nation that passed through the horrors of Genocide, Armenians feel the moral obligation to contribute to the international efforts for prevention of genocides, crimes against humanity. In 2015 due to the efforts of Armenia the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a unanimous Resolution on the Genocide Prevention while again on our initiative the UN General Assembly assigned December 9th as an International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide,” he added.
“Since 2015, 9 December has become a solid platform for manifestation of our collective resolve against the recurrence of this crime. It also bears an important mission of raising awareness and promoting education about the crimes against humanity,” Edward Nalbandian stated.
“On the next December 9th the International Commemoration Day will gain even more significance since it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It will provide an opportunity to once again reaffirm the importance of the Convention,” Minister Nalbandian noted.
“However, 70 years passed the world is not immune from this “odious scourge”. It is imperative to redouble the international efforts aimed at reinvigoration of the prevention agenda,” he added,
Edward Nalbandian voiced hope that the 70th anniversary of the Convention would give a new impetus to the international efforts in this regard.
Azerbaijani Press: Malicious intentions of Azerbaijan’s ill-wishers will fail
Xalq Qazeti, Azerbaijan
Dec 7 2017
Malicious intentions of Azerbaijan's ill-wishers will fail
by Ittifaq Mirzabayli
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Azeri]
While the political influence and the economic rating of the young and independent Azerbaijani state grew internationally, the military power increases as well as our diplomatic positions strengthen; the pain and suffering of those who ignore the country's achievements also multiply.
Even in bed at night, our evil-doers, who are after ways of disrupting Azerbaijan's development, seek and find their associates in Armenia, among pro-Armenian politicians around the world and among the opposition forces in our country. Nevertheless, their most influential supporters in the search for the execution of these sanctimonious options are the authors of dual policies with hypocritical politicians in the world.
In particular, the hand of our ill-wishers, backed by these circles, has become so long that on 5 December the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe succeeded in making the European Court of Human Rights to take a decision that might be regarded as interference in the domestic affairs of Azerbaijan.
Thus, this organization has launched infringement proceedings against Azerbaijan due to the latter's refusal to ensure the unconditional release of ReAL movement leader [and one of Azerbaijan's leading opposition figures] Ilqar Mammadov.
ReAL – Europe's project
Before commenting on this issue, we should recall that Ilqar Mammadov, whom they have eagerly supported, has been a member of the executive board of the Soros Foundation since 2006. The activities of this foundation have been rightly banned in many European countries. They have made it clear that the Soros Foundation is engaged in devastation, confrontation, chaos and anarchy in different countries. On the contrary, although banned in Europe, they are demanding the release of the foundation's [Azerbaijani] representative, who has been arrested for a specific criminal offence in Azerbaijan. This is not only absurd but is also ridiculous.
Ilqar Mammadov, who was a deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani Milli Istiqlal Party at some point in time, could not find a place for himself within the party for some of his mysterious actions, but claimed to teach a lesson to all the country. Obviously, his foreign bosses gave him such a task.
If this were not the case, what happened then that the man who could not find a common language with members of the Azerbaijan Milli Istiqlal Party, who constitute one thousandth of the population of the country, began to give instructions and teach the whole nation? Those who have established the Republican Alternative Movement (ReAL), for sure, gave specific instructions to Ilqar Mammadov. Otherwise, all the anti-Azerbaijani forces worldwide, especially in Europe, would not have cherished the ReAL movement.
I remember well a joint press conference held on 21 June 2013 in Brussels between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The first question put to the Azerbaijani president was about Ilqar Mammadov, who had been arrested for a specific offence. Moreover, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak tried to portray Ilqar Mammadov as a political opponent of the president.
However, the person called Ilqar Mammadov was a man, who displayed the level of upbringing unlike dozens of the opposition officials portrayed as opponents of the Azerbaijani government for over the last 20 years. He is neither a match for the president, nor for any of the men in the National Council, who are reprimanded on a daily basis by our society. Nevertheless… [ellipsis as published] if the reactionary forces want such a person arrested for a specific offence it may be granted a more pompous name.
No political prisoners in Azerbaijan
We should remember that our government officials explicitly expose these malicious plans both at home and internationally, telling our ill-wishers that there is no-one described as a political prisoner in Azerbaijan.
The views expressed by the president of Azerbaijan in response to the question asked in Brussels were the most consistent of such statements: "None of my political opponents are in jail. This is completely false information. If you carefully read the comments made by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January, which refused to accept the report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan, you understand that this topic has been closed. No-one has been arrested on political grounds in Azerbaijan. The right to freedom of assembly is completely guaranteed, and the same situation applies to the media freedom. We have free internet. The number of internet users in Azerbaijan is more than 70 per cent [of the population], there is no censorship and all the political parties operate freely and openly. Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe for more than 10 years. As Mr President [Barroso] said, next year we will chair this important organization [the Council of Europe]. We fully meet all our commitments to democratic development, human rights and freedoms. Thus, your assessment voiced in your question is either based on false information, or negative opinion, or the artificially created impression about Azerbaijan."
That is to say, the Azerbaijan president, standing side by side with the European Commission president, once again made the international community to understand that we know that libels and slanders about Azerbaijan globally have been fabricated by our ill-wishers. As for the introduction to the international community of the man called Ilqar Mammadov as an opponent of the president, or more specifically trying to sell him as such, we should say that this is an absolutely futile attempt.
Ill-wishers will lose
As we mentioned above, up to now none of the representatives of the opposition camp shined for bravery by comparing the Azerbaijani parliament to a zoo.
Perhaps they would want to make such a mistake. However, their upbringing did not let them to do so as everyone in the parliament – be they from the ruling or the opposition parties, independent or with party affiliation – they are all sons and daughters of the Azerbaijani people and citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Even the Armenian press, where the [Armenian] parliament came under shooting, no-one there dared to compare parliamentarians to wild animals or a beast. Comparing Azerbaijani intelligentsia representatives, politicians or women to a beast, a wild animal and a ragtag could only be done by someone like Ilqar Mammadov who hates his own people.
Let's turn to the fact to justify our thoughts. On 2 November 2012, the online version of [opposition] Azadliq newspaper carried Ilqar Mammadov's very valuable article, peculiar of him: "I am insulting the Azerbaijani parliament with this article, and I am right as the Azerbaijani parliament is a zoo where the vast majority of its members are swindlers. In the middle ages, each king had a zoo in their palaces; this is also of that kind. This zoo, which pretends to be the nation's mouthpiece, should be arrested as a result of revolutionary changes in Azerbaijan. The demands to dissolve it are meaningless – what is the need to replace one zoo with another one. A zoo is a zoo, that is."
And this is his upbringing. I wonder, whose moral is compatible to liken the Milli Maclis [parliament], made up of well-known intelligentsia representatives, female MPs, to a zoo, and the deputies to a beast? Now, political intriguers, unable to control themselves, are trying to call him a "political prisoner". Of course, his foreign sponsors are also familiar with his level of upbringing, nevertheless, they support him.
The reason for is that they want very much to discredit Azerbaijan's comprehensive development. In order to achieve that desire, it is necessary to play with a card called Ilqar Mammadov.
Let them play. The people of Azerbaijan have thwarted and exposed many games of those who want to inflict problems on the people in the last 25-26 years. It is as clear as daylight that our ill-wishers will also lose the game played with a card called Ilqar Mammadov.
Le Requiem de Tigran Mansurian, sublime devoir de mémoire
ResMusica-France
9 déc. 2017
Le Requiem de Tigran Mansurian, sublime devoir de mémoire
Tigran Mansurian (né en 1939) : Requiem, dédié à la mémoire des victimes du génocide arménien. Anja Petersen, soprano. Andrew Redmond, baryton. RIAS Kammerchor. Orchestre de chambre de Munich, direction : Alexander Liebreich. 1 CD ECM New Series. Enregistré en janvier 2016 en l’église Jesus-Christus de Dahlem (Berlin). Textes de présentation du compositeur et de Paul Griffiths en allemand et anglais. Durée : 45′
Le sixième volume consacré par le label ECM New Series en tout ou partie au compositeur contemporain arménien Tigran Mansurian est entièrement dévolu à son récent Requiem, composé à la mémoire des victimes du génocide arménien. Une éblouissante et émouvante réussite réconciliant les traditions musicales et les cult(ur)es chrétien(ne)s d’Orient et d’Occident.
La photo d’archive en couverture de ce CD montre un convoi de déportés arméniens aux alentours d’Alep vers 1916, et un siècle plus tard, avec des acteurs et des victimes certes différents, l’Histoire se répète encore dans toute son horreur convulsive. Voilà un enregistrement qui nous rappelle à notre devoir de mémoire, et qui, d’évidence, ne nous laisse pas indemne après son écoute, au-delà même de sa valeur artistique intrinsèque.
Tigran Mansurian a composé à l’instigation des interprètes ici réunis, le RIAS Kammerchor et l’Orchestre de chambre de Munich, ce vaste Requiem, en 2010-2011, après avoir déjà par trois fois jeté et abandonné les bases d’une œuvre liturgique à la mémoire des victimes arméniennes du génocide perpétré durant le premier conflit mondial. L’approche se situe délibérément dans le respect des traditions musicales chrétiennes orientales, parfois étonnamment proches de celles des peuples arabes voisins par l’usage des modes employés, ou la préférence implicite accordée à la monodie. Le compositeur a résolu par ailleurs les problèmes culturels issus du choc entre les pratiques des églises d’Orient et d’Occident par un retour œcuménique à l’ordinaire latin, où il réintroduit la séquence du Dies irae, mais dont il écarte, eu égard à la foi arménienne en une présence permanente de l’âme des défunts, des « pièces rapportées », comme le Lux aeterna ou le Libera me. Dans son texte de présentation, Mansurian insiste aussi sur le sens particulier et la résonance profonde que prennent certaines phrases (comme celles du Kyrie eleison) pour un peuple menacé ou persécuté dans sa chair, donc loin du ton péremptoire que permettent la liberté cultuelle et les racines chrétiennes de la civilisation européenne, pour le même texte, sous d’autres plumes. En résulte un authentique chef-d’œuvre, à la fois de protestation face à l’injustice ou au massacre injustifiable d’un peuple, et de réconciliation, par ses choix textuels et la fusion de monodies modales quasi-ancestrales avec tout le raffinement harmonique ou contrapuntique d’une écriture savante à l’occidentale.
L’effectif retenu est sobre (un grand ensemble de cordes qui appuie un chœur de chambre), mais utilisé au maximum de ses capacités expressives. Il ne faut pas chercher ici d’avant-gardisme tapageur, mais plutôt une modernité apaisée qui dans sa polymodalité ne refuse ni la pureté réconciliatrice de l’accord parfait, ni la tension crissante des dissonances. La plénitude et la luminosité des monodies n’exclut nullement une angoisse latente, ni une variété d’approches rythmiques (danse lente et extatique du Kyrie, trépignement orageux de la section initiale du Dies Irae). Le centre de gravité de l’œuvre est certainement le poignant Offertoire, avec son crescendo mené au paroxysme par une très habile gestion du temps musical, et un rappel mémoriel de divers éléments motiviques cycliques.
Malgré ses particularismes, si ce n’est à cause d’eux, cette œuvre poignante tend à l’universalisme et à l’accessibilité, sans tomber dans le piège de la facilité. Elle bénéficie ici, de la part de ses créateurs, d’une interprétation idéale, millimétrée dans ses nuances et ses intentions, techniquement et musicalement parfaite. Les solistes Anja Petersen et Andrew Redmond, aux interventions ponctuelles, sont sensationnels de sensibilité et d’_expression_. La prise de son est en exact rapport avec l’œuvre et, par sa restitution sans excès de l’acoustique réverbérée du lieu (la Jesus-Christus-Kirche de Berlin-Dahlem), elle magnifie tant l’œuvre que son exécution.
Voici donc un disque précieux (finaliste des prochains ICMA 2018) qui nous révèle une œuvre chorale majeure et sans doute le plus beau Requiem composé en ce début deXXIe siècle, dans une version qui sera une référence pour longtemps.
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Eurosport.co.uk
Dec 10 2017