Award-wining Armenian Pianist Plays On Armenia-Turkey Border ANI (Western Armenia)

June 22, 2015 By administrator

Armenian award-wining pianist Tigran Hamasyan played in a concert organised at historical Ani Ruins on Armenia-Turkey border. Tigran Hamasyan started his “Concerts at 100 Churches” tour at historical Ani Ruins on Armenia-Turkey border, where there are three Armenian churches and a cathedral dated at.

Armenian award-wining pianist Tigran Hamasyan played in a concert organised at historical Ani Ruins on Armenia-Turkey border.

Tigran Hamasyan started his “Concerts at 100 Churches” tour at historical Ani Ruins on Armenia-Turkey border, where there are three Armenian churches and a cathedral dated at the 10th century.

Hamasyan is expected to play in some other churches in Turkey related to his “Concerts at 100 Churches” tour, which will include Armenian churches in Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Germany, Luxemburg, Russia and the US.

At the age of three Tigran Hamasyan began to play melodies on his family’s piano and he went to a music school from the age of six. He studied jazz from the age of nine, then tried to incorporate local folk melodies into jazz-form improvisations when in his teens. Hamasyan, together with his parents and sister moved to Yerevan when he was around 10 and then to California when he was 16, where, as of October 2013, he continues to live.

He won 3rd Prize Concours International de Piano-Jazz Martial Solal in Paris in 2002, 1st Prize Jazz à Juan Révélations in the jazz instrumental category and 1st Prize Prix de la Critique et du Public, Concours de Piano du Montreux Jazz Festival in 2003, when he was 18 years old.

Tamar Nalcı, organiser of Tigran Hamasyan’s concerts in Turkey, said, award wining pianist was working with a team of 25 people for the “Concerts at 100 Churches”. “The concerts are being filming to produce a documentary. It is very important for us holding the first concert in historical Ani Ruins, a very important site for Armenians.”

Source: Haberler

Armenia Electricity Price Hike Sparks Sit-In Protest in Yerevan

June 21, 2015 By administrator

Y SEROUJ APRAHAMIAN

From The Armenian Weekly

Protesters vowed to stay put until June 22 (Photo: Serouj Aprahamian)

YEREVAN—Thousands of people gathered in Yerevan’s Liberty Square Friday evening to protest the government’s adoption of a 17 percent rise in electricity rates. What was initially slated as a march in the city center against the price hike turned into an unexpected mass sit-in.

Maxim Sargsyan, a member of the “No to Plunder” civic initiative that organized the protest, stood before the crowd and put forth the following proposition, “We can either go out to march and then disperse back to our homes as usual or we can stay here until Monday, stage a sit-in, and demand a suspension of the illegal price hike.” The demonstrators opted for the latter.

The mostly young protesters could be seen huddled in various groups throughout the square, sitting on carpets, pieces of cardboard, tires, or simply the ground. They held banners reading “High Voltage” and “No to Plunderers” as they chanted “We are the owners of our country.”

Music blared from the podium, playing everything from patriotic songs and traditional Armenian rhythms, to System of a Down and a hip-hop song made specifically for the campaign. Several large circles of traditional Armenian dancing also spontaneously broke ou
Demonstrators vowed to stay in the square until June 22 and declared that they will march to the presidential palace if the price hike is not reversed by then.

The mass sit-in comes on the heels of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia voting unanimously on June 17 to raise electricity prices from 42 AMD/kWh to 49 AMD/kWh. This is the third consecutive price hike by the government in the last 3 years and the fourth since 2009, making Armenia the country with the highest electricity rates in the region.

Both protesters and members of the government agree that the price increases are due to the mismanagement and indebtedness of RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES), a Russian-owned company that operates Armenia’s power distribution network. The government insists that rates have to be raised in order to ensure that UES gets out of debt and is operational, leaving average citizens and small businesses—that are already overburdened with socio-economic hardship—to foot the bill.

Widespread anger ignited as soon as the proposed price increase was made public early last month. The “No to Plunder” initiative organized a mass rally in Yerevan on May 27, while the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) led a tense demonstration in front of the PRSC building on the day of the vote. They called for the resignation of the head of the regulatory body and demanded to enter the meeting before the vote. One AYF representative was eventually allowed in but news of the unanimously approved price hike was met with demonstrators throwing eggs and tomatoes toward the building. Several protesters were also detained in minor skirmishes with the police.

This current episode is the latest in a string of civic struggles that have arisen over recent years in response to regressive government policies. These struggles have achieved several victories, including the preservation of a waterfall, prevention of illegal construction in a public park, reversing a transportation fee hike, and partially overturning the privatization of the country’s pension system.

Members of the “No to Plunder” initiative repeatedly made reference to these victories, noting that the only way to bring about social change in the country has been grassroots direct action and civic protest—while traditional politics have failed.

“This is the struggle of all Armenian citizens, independent of their political or partisan views,” said “No to Plunder” member Aram Manukyan from the podium. “Taking into account the experiences and successes of past movements, we have concluded that the struggle must be waged on the streets in an organized and united fashion, strictly excluding any dialogue with the authorities.”

As the sit-in went into the night, demonstrators gathered into open assemblies where they discussed issues such as orderliness, keeping the square clean, meeting basic needs, and forming groups of security for the protest. Participants also urged one another to remain peaceful and not engage in any confrontations with the police.

Organizers maintain that they will continue their struggle and use all manner of lawful civil disobedience until the price hike is fully repealed

Hranouch Hagopian inaugurated at the Intercontinental Hotel Hôtel Dieu in Marseille the exhibition “apricot blossom” in the genocide centennial

June 20, 2015 By administrator

As part of the events marking the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, Friday, June 19, Hagopian Hranouch the Minister of Diaspora, arrived in Marseilles with HE Viguen Tchitetchian, Ambassador of Armenia to France visited Intercontinental Hotel Dieu hotel for the inauguration of the exhibition “apricot blossom” presented by the Marseilles Provence 2015 Armenia headed by Angèle Melkonian. Among those present, Samuel Lalayan the Armenian Consul in Marseilles, Didier Parakian the Deputy Mayor of Marseille and one of the leaders of Armenia Marseille Provence 2015, Richard Findykian Deputy Mayor of the 9th and 10th, Hratchya Aslanyan responsible for the Diaspora Armenian Ministry of Europe, director Patrick Malakian, Councillor Colette Babouchian, sculptor Toros accompanied by his wife Mary, and other personalities and artists. Photos Isahak Akkayan

Krikor Amirzayan

Armenia Mayors of 12 German cities visit Erebuni historical-archeological museum-reserve

June 20, 2015 By administrator

Mayors of 12 German cities visited Erebuni historical-archeological museum-reserve in Yerevan, the press service of Yerevan Municipality reports.

Accompanied by a guide, they toured the halls, familiarized themselves with the history of the city of Erebuni and wrote entries to the guest book.

The mayors called their visit to Yerevan very eventful.

Azerbaijian Live, from the fifth most censored country, it’s the first ever European Games – Report Politico

June 17, 2015 By administrator

By Jacob Balzano
Rejoice! After years of enviously watching athletes in Asia, Africa, the Pacific and the Americas flaunt their sporting might together as continental brothers and sisters, Europe finally has a competition to call its own. Live, from the fifth most censored country in the world, it’s the first ever European Games.

Jutting out into the glistening Caspian Sea, Baku, the oil boom capital of Azerbaijan, is fizzing and popping with European Games mania. Six thousand athletes from 50 countries have descended on the city to run, twist and grunt their way through two weeks of gruelling sporting competition. Stadia have sprouted like mushrooms, glassy hotels stretch into the clouds and phalanxes of volunteers marshal the masses of spectators, hacks and dignitaries into arenas to watch the games, some of which will qualify athletes for the Rio Olympics next year.
It is impressive to see Baku holding an event so flash, sophisticated and well-attended when one remembers that barely two decades ago the city was a dusty backwater still convulsing from the collapse of the Soviet Union and war with neighbouring Armenia. Yet even before the opening ceremony on June 12th, there were sinister signals that this event would not quite live up to the Olympic ideals. Officials from Amnesty International, which planned to hold a press conference in Baku during the games, to highlight the country’s political prisoners, were denied visas. As were delegates from Human Rights Watch. A British activist from Platform London was detained at Baku airport for over 30 hours before being promptly deported. Journalists from the BBC, the Guardian, Radio France International and German broadcaster ARD were also denied accreditation.
When this news broke, I attended a press conference where presidential adviser Ali Hasanov ruminated that this was an anti-Azerbaijani campaign directed by Western elements jealous of the country’s success. Another way of interpreting this is that government officials are not fond of media who have explored claims that they have in recent years siphoned off untold billions of state assets into their personal accounts, annihilated the free press and neutralised or imprisoned anyone who dared speak out against their behavior.

Even from a pragmatic perspective, denying entry to journalists from major media outlets was a careless move that completely backfired. The Azerbaijan government, far from muting issues it didn’t want discussed, managed to amplify them and attach intrigue and skulduggery to the European Games even before the event had officially started. In doing so, the government very helpfully exploded that old deceit that these showboat sport extravaganzas serve as some wondrous key for world peace, rather than the cynical orgy of unblinking power, geopolitics and capital that they unfailingly end up being.
In the Roman Empire, it was said all that was needed for a happy populace was bread and circuses. It has been speculated that Azerbaijan spent up to $10 billion on hosting the European Games. Bread, however, can be a luxury for some in a land where the average monthly salary is around $400 and significantly less outside the capital. The opening ceremony’s bill of $100 million seemed comparatively austere to the overall cost of the games. It was in fact a stunningly elaborate spectacle that blended 12th century Persian poetry, flying carpets, exploding pomegranates and … Lady Gaga. The latter’s attendance was a closely guarded secret until the last minute, when she appeared at a piano adorned with flowers to trill John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Depending on the cultural sensitivities of the country where this song is performed, singers sometimes omit the lyrics imaging there is no God. Until last week I have never heard a version which leaves out the line imagining “no need for greed or hunger.” Perhaps Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev had given some helpful artistic guidance beforehand?

As the spiritual home of BP, which hoovers up more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Azerbaijan, and that country’s largest foreign investor, Britain was expected to send an exciting guest to the opening ceremony. Prince William? Sting? Someone from Game of Thrones? Almost. Britain was valiantly represented by Tobias Ellwood MP, Parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Alas, my attempts to get an autograph were thwarted by the millions of screaming fans ahead of me. The Honourable Member’s Twitter feed duly cranked out some messages banging the drum for British business and support for athletes of “Team GB.” The next day Ellwood flew to Bahrain where #Reform and #HumanRights were on the agenda, talking points apparently absent from his Baku
The lack of any senior British representative was symptomatic of the rest of Europe’s energetic incuriosity about the event. The only European heads of state in attendance from farther West were Prince Albert of Monaco and the grand duke of Luxembourg. There were however, some more regal dignitaries from the local neighbourhood, namely President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan.
Even Erdogan would remark the following day, “I could not see any leaders from the EU, although the name of this event is ‘European Games,’ the Turkish leader sniffed. To which Putin (with whom he was holding talks), retorted with a mischievous grin, “As a European Union candidate country, you are representing the whole bloc.” At one point in the ceremony, for fans of Greek mythology, a performer representing the Phoenician woman Europa (for whom the continent was named) sailed across the stadium on top of a white bull suspended from the eaves, just to hammer home the message that this was a European thing.

Speaking of bull, Patrick Hickey, the president of the European Olympic Committees and chief architect of the European Games project (and former Irish judo champion), took to the stage to address the audience. Among the blizzard of platitudes, he spoke of how sport “has a unique power to affect positive change, to instil a set of values that make change inevitable” before dropping the buzzwords “global ethics, fair play, respect and friendship.”

Reporters Without Borders ranks Azerbaijan 162 out of 180 countries in its annual press freedom index. Transparency International ranks Azerbaijan 126 out of 175 on its global corruption index. Democracy was always a risky sport in Azerbaijan, but in the last year, the correlation between Azerbaijan’s growing global presence and the severe crackdown on journalists and human rights activists has been absolute. Those who have not been thrown in jail have either fled or have fallen silent to the extent that Baku now seems like a ghost town for civil society.
Before embarking to Azerbaijan, I met a human rights worker in a café in neighbouring Tbilisi, Georgia, who told me: “For the first time in a decade, I literally don’t know who to meet over there anymore.” The next day, an email landed in my inbox from a well-connected analyst: “I’m sorry, Andrew, but my Baku colleagues were simply too fearful to be in contact with you.”

Armenian Seda Tutkhanyan Wins Gold at Baku Games

June 17, 2015 By administrator

Seda Tutkhanyan

BAKU—Seda Tutkhanyan, a native of Gyumri, who is competing on behalf of the Russian team won a gold medal Tuesday in the gymnastics team competition during the European Games.

The Russian team beat out the German and Dutch team to ascend to the gold. Tutkhanyan competed alongside her teammates Viktoria Komova and Aliya Moustafina.

Tutkhanyan has also advanced to the personal gymnastics competition finals and remains in the competition in the lead.

The 15-year-old Tutkhanyan is a junior Olympics champion and the daughter of world champion Gourgen Tutkhanyan. She began training in the sport when she was seven.

Azerbaijanis Paying Price For Aliyev’s 2015 European Games

June 16, 2015 By administrator

By RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service

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State workers have told RFE/RL that they have been forced to help foot the big bill for the European Games,

With dozens of opposition activists and independent journalists behind bars, domestic criticism of Baku’s hosting of the 2015 European Games is hard to find.

But despite the clampdown on dissent by President Ilham Aliyev’s government — which in recent days has banned Amnesty International and kicked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) out of the country — complaints from upset Azerbaijanis are still being heard.

Several state workers say they have been forced to help foot the bill for the expensive (up to $10 billion), first-ever mini-Olympics for some 6,000 European athletes.

A doctor from the north-central city of Mingachevir told RFE/RL that fellow doctors at his hospital were forced to contribute between 100 and 500 manats ($105-$524) apiece.

“Each department is required to donate at least 2,000 to 5,000 manats ($2,100-$5,240),” said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Therefore, senior doctors have to collect money from other staff [and] there are rumors that whoever does not contribute money [for the European Games] will be fired.”

Speaking to RFE/RL, Ilham Mayilov, the head of Mingachevir’s Health Department, rejected reports that doctors had been ordered to pay money to support the games.

But there are indications that some doctors may have decided to pass along the cost for the games to their patients.

“My doctor told me I will not receive my free medicine for two months until the European Games are finished,” an ill Baku resident told RFE/RL via Facebook last month.

The patient, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, normally gets four injections per month to treat the disease, with each injection costing some 400 manats ($381).

Another person, who is receiving chemotherapy, told RFE/RL that she would only receive about one-third of her state-paid medicine until the European Games are finished.

Sefaya Ahmedova, a press officer at the Health Ministry, dismissed reports of patients having their treatments reduced or medicine not being paid for due to doctors having to contribute to the costs of the European Games.

The “involuntary” contributions to help pay for Baku’s big event seems to involve other state workers.

The father of a man who works at the Economy and Industry Ministry told RFE/RL that his son, like many other midlevel state employees, receives a bonus, under-the-table payment every month to enhance his low official salary.

But he said his son’s 800 manat ($838) salary has been reduced to 250 manats ($262) for the last four months, with his missing bonus being sent to the European Games’ budget.

ALSO READ: Aliyev’s Azerbaijan In Spotlight As European Games Begin

Other anonymous sources told RFE/RL that similar “bonus salaries” were no longer being received in recent months by employees at the State Customs Committee.

Committee officials told employees the bonus cut happened due to the games and will be resumed after the games are finished.

Azerbaijan won the right to hold the games based partially on a generous promise to pay the airfare of the thousands of athletes, trainers, and coaches who have come to Baku to compete in more than 250 events from June 12-28.

Much as they did for the 2012 Eurovision song competition hosted by Azerbaijan, Baku authorities have spared no expense in projecting a positive image of the country while the eyes of Europe are on it.

But critics say that rather than working to improve its rights record to bolster its image, Azerbaijani officials have focused on sprucing up Baku’s visual appearance to put the city’s best foot forward.

The effort has drawn scorn from some Baku residents who are unimpressed by the cosmetic improvements.

A mural painted on a concrete bridge underpass near a bus station in north-central Baku has been dismissed by many as state-approved graffiti.

Ironically, some of the artists hired to paint the mural reportedly were selected from a list of street artists who have been arrested in the past for painting graffiti.

Some have previously served up to 10 days in a Baku detention center on charges of hooliganism, for acts such as painting the word “freedom” on a concrete wall or scrawling opposition slogans.

While some residents grumble, others see benefits from the European Games, such as with newly planted trees in parks and flowers near Baku Boulevard, a main street in the booming capital that also boasts free WiFi while the games are being played.

There are modern buses on the streets and new, air-conditioned subway cars beneath.

Perhaps most surprisingly, people on Facebook say they have seen police officers on the streets who are, uncharacteristically, smiling.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ron Synovitz and Pete Baumgartner

Tigran Mansurian: I am the musician of the Armenian language

June 16, 2015 By administrator

By Siranush Ghazanchyan

Known as the greatest living Armenian composer, Tigran Mansurian was in Istanbul for a special occasion. Commissioned by the 43rd Istanbul Music Festival, the premiere of Mansurian’s work titled ‘Sonata da Chiesa for Viola and Piano, In Memoriam Gomidas Vartabed’ was held in the evening of June 10 at the Surp Vortvots Vorodman Church with a concert titled ‘A World Premiere with Kim Kashkashian & Péter Nagy’.

In an interview with Istanbul based Agos weekly Mansurian told about his friend Parajanov, composing film scores, the feelings he has had while visiting Turkey for the first time.

“It was 1969, and I was 30 years old when Parajanov asked me to compose the score of ‘The Colour of Pomegranates’. “I am travelling to Kiev, I’ll come back when you’re finished,” he said, gave me the film, and went. There was no sound in the film, but the images were complete. For three months, I worked every day, from 9 in the morning until 9 in the evening. It was fascinating work. Parajanov would transform even the simplest things in such ways… He would elevate them from the ground into the sky, and then, take them even higher than the sky. He would conjure up incredible symbols from very simple objects, giving them artistic forms. I tried to do for sounds what Parajanov had done with images,” Mansurian said.

Speaking about the difference between the film scores and other compositions, the composer said: “It’s a completely different kind of work. My approach changes entirely when I am composing a film score. Because the music I make for a film does not belong to me but to the film, and every film has its own unique music. So I become a different person from one film to the next. I have composed scores for more than hundred films, and each work is different. But the music that belongs to me, that has stayed the same over the years. No doubt, some things change, but I can say that the essence of my music has always remained the same.”

“There is a truth within me, and when that truth meets with the work you are doing, then you know you are doing something right,” Mansurian said. Speaking of the source of that truth, he said: “I love Armenian music. Our culture has been conveyed to the present day from very ancient times. For instance, ‘Anganimk’, from the 5^th century… ‘Anganimk’ is a hymn that takes me back 1,500 years. In a single second, I go back 1,500 years and return to the present day. This journey is my wealth. And this journey of immense wealth has been travelled by a great number of people throughout history. The work of each and every one of them has been inscribed along this path.”

“I believe that the language a musician speaks is his or her greatest teacher. You constantly speak and hear this language. Every language has its unique phonetics and intonation. For instance, in some languages the emphasis is on the final syllable of the word. That is how it is in Armenian, and also in French; but it is entirely different in Russian… So in the works of a musician who speaks Armenian, you observe influences unique to that language, and that musician becomes ‘the musician of the Armenian language’. I, too, am a musician of the Armenian language,” the composer noted.

Tigran Mansurian also spoke about three names in Armenian classical music:

“Komitas is our father, he is the father of us all. He brought us everything about us, laid it all out before us and said, “Here, this is what we are”. And the whole world saw this, began to discover Komidas, and that discovery continues to this day

“Aram Khachaturian came to say, “We lost one and a half million of us, but we continue to live”. And he made that heard with such a voice that the whole world heard him, and they came to know him and Armenian music.”

“Tigran Hamasyan is a very sweet musician. His singing takes me back to Armenia. Whether with his piano or his voice, he shows that he is a child of those lands. He has a very rich memory. It’s fascinating how he has such an immense memory. I can’t tell whether the music is borne from him, or he from the music.”

European Games: First Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan “gold” in Baku

June 15, 2015 By administrator

Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan

Despite all the booing and hissing from the hostile crowd in Baku, Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan managed to win the gold medal at the first-ever European Games taking place in the Azerbaijani capital.

The match between Maryanyan and Soslan Daurov from Belarus in the men’s 59kg Greco-Roman final took place in extraordinary conditions as spectators in the hall were exerting great psychological pressure on the Armenian all the time.

“It wasn’t easy,” Maryanyan said as quoted by Associated Press after the match. “I tried not to pay attention to that weight in the hall, the pressure. I actually enjoyed myself, even though they had that attitude toward me.”

On the way to the final Maryanyan beat Armenia representative Roman Amoyan as well as Elman Mukhtarov, a Greco-Roman wrestler from Azerbaijan who was fiercely supported by the home crowd during the bout.

Later, Amoyan lost to Mukhtarov in the bronze medal match that also took place in conditions of spectator pressure on the Armenian. According to media reports, Amoyan was even booed while he was receiving treatment for a head cut.

Twenty-four other Armenian athletes are due to compete in six sports (sambo martial arts, shooting, judo, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo) at the Games that will be held through June 28.

The Armenian delegation was already booed and hissed at during the athletes’ parade at the Games opening ceremony on Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s. More than 30,000 people were killed in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in 1992-1994. Despite the current ceasefire soldiers on both sides continue to lose their lives in cross-border skirmishes.

The National Olympic Committee of Armenia made the decision to send athletes to Baku after representatives of the International and European Olympic committees as well as the government of Azerbaijan provided security guarantees for them.

Some leading athletes, including world wrestling champions Arsen Julfalakyan and Artur Alexanyan, decided to skip the Games, officially explaining their decisions by the need to train for the world championships due in September.

Many in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora have also criticized the country’s sporting community for its decision to send athletes to the Games that are widely viewed as a means for Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime to promote its international image.

Golden Apricot: Armenia to host 12th edition of int’l film festival next month

June 15, 2015 By administrator

By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

This year for the 12th time Yerevan will host a Golden Apricot International Film Festival, which will take place from July 12 to 19.

The main program of the festival, besides the traditional four nominations, will be full of extra-competition nominations; two of them on the topic of the Genocide.

Films telling about the Armenian Genocide will be represented in the nomination We Exist, and works telling about genocides in the world – in the nomination Never Again, Mikayel Stambultsyan, program manager of the festival, told reporters.

“We have two big good projects: New French Film and New German Film, which are quite abundant and new names will be presented,” Stambultsyan said.

The festival this year will be special considering the cooperation with the project Film Directors Without Limits, which is held together with the Ministry of Culture; it will host Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Culture from other countries, Armenian Deputy Minister of Culture Artur Poghosyan said.

“Golden Apricot is the International Festival which has become a symbol of our culture during these years,” he said adding that the Festival is the most well-known and the most popular visit-card of the Armenian culture in the world.

The annually increasing number of application for participation in the festival is a proof to this. This year the organizers of the festival received 1,600 applications from 105 countries (in 2014 1500 applications from 95 countries were received).

“Annually the number of presented films and participating countries increases. This year we received applications from African and Latin American countries,” Syuzanna Harutyunyan, the artistic director of the festival said.

“Film artists from the whole world send applications and express desire to come and participate, recognize Armenia, get to know to Armenian film and present their films here,” she added.