Tigran Hamasyan’s concert to benefit Tbilisi flood victims

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi

Tigran Hamasyan will provide the proceeds from his Tbilisi concert to the fund for assistance to the flood victims. The charity concert will take place at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire at 8 p.m. tonight. The pianist had another concert at St. Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi last night.

Within the framework of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Tigran Hamasyan plans concerts in over 100 churches around the world. The program is titled Luys i Luso (Light of Light), which has a religious meaning.

“I wanted the program to have a bright name, because we are performing religious music, a living music, which survives and develops,” Hamasyan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

With new improvisations Tigran Hamasyan gives a fresh breath to the Armenian religious music – the works by Mesrop Mashtots, Grigor Narekatsi, Nerses Shnorhali, Mkhitar Ayrivanetsi and Makar Yekmalyan.

“Our religious traditions are combined with improvisation here,” the pianist said.

The tour that kicked off in Yerevan will continue in different countries of the world and will conclude in Turkey.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS