Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

DISCREDITED MEYER DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DEFENDS PLAGIARIST-ORIENTALIST

19:29 17/01/2014 ” REGION

In the Russia scientific community a new scandal erupted – acting
IAAS MSU director, member of Expert Council of the Higher Attestation
Commission Professor I. I. Abylgaziev was accused of plagiarism. It
turned out that the basis of his doctoral thesis served several pieces
of foreign dissertations and other sources.

In response to accusations in plagiarism, Abylgazieva called an
assembly of IAAS academic council and asked to vote on a confidence
towards him. “At first they discussed the importance of studying
the problems of Soviet internationalism and solidarity, in which the
director is engaged, also that there are similar ideas in different
theses, that it does not matter how good scientist the director is,
if he is a good administrator instead, and also that the “media
campaign” is a scheming against V.A. Sadovnichego and is not worth
paying attention. It was also suggested that some certain fragments
of the not yet published dissertation of professor Abylgaziev were
stolen and hastily published by his enemies or protected by them before
he had time to complete his research. That was the statement of the
former director of IAAC scientist in Turkish studies M.S. Meyer and
scientist in Vietnam studies D.V. Deopik which was somewhat unexpected:
they both have a reputation of decent people,” notes the member of RAS,
historian Askold Ivanchik in his blog on “Echo of Moscow.”

As the author notes, the issue of trust was put to a secret voting.

Results: 21 board members trust the director, 10 have no trust towards
him, 7 invalid ballots.

“Well, the Russian orientalists chose the option of the disgrace quite
consciously. None of them could say that he didn’t know for whom
he or she is voting. Moreover, as it was a secret vote, it can be
stated that the academic council of IAAS chose its director freely;
no one can claim that he is imposed from the top. This means that
the IAAS professors themselves, quite well realizing what they are
doing decided that the retired official with its compiled dissertation
(but real colonel) deserves the place of the director of one of the
Russian main centers, where future orientalists are being prepared,”
Ivanchik writes.

It is not accidental that when talking about the corporate reputation
of RSU the author in connection with the scandal mentions Meyer,
expert of Turkish studies. Meyer was also a participant of another
sensational scandal in academic community.

Note that the head of the Institute of Asian and African countries
at RSU named after Lomonosov, member of Russian-Turkish Commission
of historians Mikhail Meyer made a speech on a channel “Kultura”,
in a series of “Turkish March” of a program “Power of fact.” When
commenting on the historical facts concerning the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Empire, he made cynical statements.

In particular, he stated that there was “slaughter on both sides”,
“a certain number of Armenians” managed to survive and “it is not
genocide and one million and a half Armenians were not killed.”

In fact, Meyer’s statements denying the Armenian Genocide, coincided
with the Turkey’s new arguments, where the fact of planed destruction
of the ethnic groups is replaced by the arguments, completely not
related to the Armenians, about the parallel suffering of Muslims in
the breakaway colonies of the Empire and during the First World War.

After, the representatives of Armenian Diaspora, Armenian organizations
of Russia, the representatives of the Russian intelligentsia and the
mass media harshly criticized Meyer’s statements, the host of the
“Power of fact” program on the “Kultura” channel in a written form
apologized for the statements of Meyer.

It’s also noteworthy that Meyer as well participated in a scandalous
presentation of Oleg Kuznetsov’s book “Truth about the “myths” of
Nagorno Karabakh Conflict” held at the press center “AIF.”

Note, that the presentation of the book revealed that from the very
first page it is full of historical inaccuracies, misinformation and
in some cases there are even obvious falsification of the facts about
the history of Armenian people.

The video record of dispute between Vadim Gomoz, the editor of
“Wikipedia” and Oleg Kuznetsov was distributed on the Internet. It
clearly shows that the author of the book admits his pro- Azerbaijani
bias, thus depreciating the academic value of his book.

From: Baghdasarian

BOOK ON ARMENIAN AMIRAS PUBLISHED IN TURKISH

By Contributor // January 16, 2014

ISTANBUL, Turkey (A.W.)–On Dec. 25, 2013, Istanbul’s Aras Publishing
published the Turkish translation of Hagop L. Barsoumian’s The
Armenian Amira Class of Istanbul (Ýstanbul’un Ermeni Amiralar Sýnýfý,
in Turkish). Human rights activist Ayse Gunaysu, who is also a
professional translator and a columnist for the Armenian Weekly,
edited the book and prepared it for publication.

Cover of the Turkish translation of The Armenian Amira Class of
Istanbul

Originally published by the American University of Armenia (AUA)
in 2007, The Armenian Amira Class of Istanbul was Barsoumian’s 1980
doctoral dissertation at Columbia University.

The book opens with a heartfelt tribute to the author by his wife,
Anais, who brought about the publication 21 years after Hagop
Barsoumian’s disappearance during the Lebanese civil war in 1986.

Khachig Tololyan, professor of English and chair of the English
department at Wesleyan University, and a longtime friend of the author,
notes in the preface, “At the time of its completion around 1979
it was, as it remains now, the most thorough study of the Armenian
amiras of the Ottoman Empire.”

The Armenian Amira Class of Istanbul provides the story of the
powerful elite group known as the amiras, tracing their rise,
dominance, and, ultimately, decline. Barsoumian’s research also
draws the genealogical connections between these elite families,
and the role these relationships played in maintaining power.

“No one has done this for the amiras with anything remotely approaching
Barsoumian’s thoroughness. His grasp of these connections of descent
and marriage enables him to write confidently about the ways in which
a dominant elite constructed and sustained itself,” writes Tololyan.

Born in Aleppo in 1936 to Ayntabtsi parents and genocide survivors,
Barsoumian attended the Karen Jeppe Jemaran. In 1960, he settled in the
San Francisco, Calif. He attended San Francisco State College, where
he earned a B.S. (1964), followed by an M.A. (1969) in international
trade, focusing on the European common market. In 1972, he relocated
to New York. In 1975, he earned another M.A. in Middle East history
from New York University and, five years later, earned his Ph.D. from
Columbia University in Ottoman history. Barsoumian then moved to
Beirut, where he taught history and Middle East politics at Haigazian
University. On Jan. 31, 1986, he was kidnapped, and was not seen again.

From: Baghdasarian

EX-PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARYAN’S OFFICE RESPONDS TO ENERGY MINISTER’S INTERVIEW

16:00 ~U 17.01.14

Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s office has responded to
Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan’s
interview about the ArmRusgasprom deal the Property for Debt agreement.

The office’s statement reads in particular:

The idea of settling the debt by transferring property was suggested
by the Armenian and Russian presidents. The relevant negotiations were
conducted within the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission
co-chaired by Serzh Sargsyan and Ilya Klebanov. All the agreements
were reached within the commission, with relevant protocols drawn up.

As Minister of Energy, Armen Movsisyan was a key participant in
the process with respect to energy assets. The final results were
submitted to the Armenian and Russian presidents for approval.

“Robert Kocharyan still believes that was a mutually advantageous
agreement and that the intergovernmental commission had worked well.

Judging by his interview, Mr Movsisyan reviewed the work and his
personal contribution to the agreement. That is what concerns the
2002 agreement,” says the statement.

Minister Movsisyan seems to have mixed the details of the 2002 and 2006
agreements. The main point of the latter was Gazprom’s involvement
in the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline construction project and completion
of the 5th power unit of the Hrazdan HPP. The unfinished 5th power
unit was estimated at $250 million. The construction was under way
in 1995-1996 on an EBRD credit and was suspended, with a total of
$60 million spent. Gazprom agreed to that estimate to enable the
Armenian side to subsidize the gas prices. With hardly any expenses,
Armenia got a modern power unit and Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, as
well as funds for subsidizing the gas prices, without a burden on
the budget or exclusive rights for any side.

Robert Kocharyan’s office also addresses statements by Vice-Chairman
of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, (RPA), Minister of Education
and Science Armen Ashotyan.

“Paying tribute to a statesman is not visiting his or her tomb, but
respecting his or her political heritage. The core of the debate
is some officials’ attempts to reappraise the former authorities’
economic policy to justify present-day problems. The years 2001-2007
are mainly in question.

“Robert Kocharyan could have remained silent pleading the government’s
constitutional responsibility for the economy. But he defended the
achievements not for himself, but for the team that worked hard
to achieve the goals. The team included the premier, ministries,
municipalities of Yerevan and other cities, tens of thousands
of builders that built up the country. And the fruits – highways,
bridges, tunnels, museums and theaters – are now enjoyed by everyone,
including our forgetful officials. Unfortunately, we have to defend
the achievements from young RPA members, who launched their career
under and due to [late Armenian premier] Andranik Margaryan.”

From: Baghdasarian

Political Science Association of Armenia slams Azerbaijan’s policy of
distorting the truth

14:29 18.01.2014

The Political Science Association of Armenia has adopted a statement
on the `Azerbaijani Authorities’ Policy of Distorting the Truth about
the Anti-Armenian Pogroms and Subsequent Deployment of Troops in Baku
in January 1990.’ The statement reads:

`January 2014 marks the 24th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians
in Baku. These tragic events were organized by the Azerbaijani Popular
Front with the criminal connivance of the Azerbaijan SSR and USSR
leadership. In the capital city of Azerbaijan hundreds of Armenians
were killed by extremely brutal methods. They were doused with petrol
and to the applause of the fanatic mob publicly burnt alive in the
streets of Baku, defenseless children, women and elderly people were
thrown from the upper floors of houses with the seizure of their
apartments and property etc. The Armenian community of Baku, by 1988
numbering around 300 thousand people and playing a prominent role in
Azerbaijan’s economic and cultural life, ceased to exist, its
surviving members lost everything and became refugees. Apart from
Armenians, there were Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, as well as
Azerbaijanis having dared to save some Armenians who suffered from the
Azerbaijani brutalized thugs.

These egregious crimes against humanity were never condemned.
Moreover, the Azerbaijan SSR leadership, entering into criminal
conspiracy with the central authorities, refused to investigate them.
Baku declined to publish the archival materials on the January events,
and subsequently – under Aliyev father and son – did not venture, at
least formally, to call for responsibility and institute court
proceedings against whoever it may be.

Official Baku continues its targeted policy of falsifying the history
and tries, playing up to anti-Russian sentiments, to depict the
above-mentioned events as an end-in-itself attempt by the Union center
`to drown in the blood the national liberation movement of the
Azerbaijani nation for its secession from the USSR’. Meanwhile, the
results of the USSR-wide referendum of 17 March, 1991, when more than
70 % of all the Azerbaijan SSR population voted in favor of
maintaining the Soviet Union, are indicative of the contradiction of
this postulate to historical facts and elementary logic.

The `Plan of activities on commemorating the 24th anniversary of the
January 20 tragedy’, recently approved by the Head of Administration
of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a symptomatic
manifestation of the Azerbaijani authorities’ falsification policy. It
is based on the attempt by the direct successor of the criminal state
to exploit the traditions and rites of commemorating victims of
genocides so as to hide the horrific truth about the mass atrocities
by the thugs from the Azerbaijani Popular Front towards the peaceful
Armenian population of Baku in January 1990. Thereby, the victims are
cynically put on a par with their torturers, many of whom at present
are among the key actors in the political life of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.

This approach organically stems from Azerbaijan’s unconstructive
policy, a vivid example of which is the statement by Ilham Aliyev at a
Government Session of Azerbaijan on January 9, 2014 on the use of
Azerbaijan’s military machine for the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict, in case Armenia refuses to make unilateral concessions
imposed by Baku. At the same time, the arms race initiated by Baku
authorities forces the Armenian sides to take measures to maintain the
guaranteed balance of power. Meanwhile, the only reasonable way to
resolve the Karabakh conflict is the creation of an atmosphere of
mutual trust among the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan, based – as is the case with
the proposal for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – on the mutual
recognition of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic established as a result of the 1991 law-governed referendum
in accordance with Perestroika Law `On Procedures for Regulation of
Issues Related to Separation of Soviet Republics from the USSR’ –
before the Alma-Ata Declaration on the official dissolution of the
USSR, and the return of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the
negotiation table as a full party.

Paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the January
pogroms and massacres, the Political Science Association of Armenia
condemns the sacrilegious policy by the Azerbaijani leadership of
distorting the truth about the January massacres of Armenians in 1990,
as well as the subsequent deployment of troops, and urges the
international community not to succumb to the propaganda fabrications
and manipulations by the Azerbaijani authorities. The Political
Science Association of Armenia draws the attention of the UN, the
Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, Heads of the member
states of these international organizations and, first and foremost,
the OCSE Minsk Group co-Chairs to preventing the malicious perversions
by the Azerbaijani authorities of the historical truth with
profanation of the memory of the true victims of the January 1990
bloody events in Baku. We also appeal to all the honest sons and
daughters of the Azerbaijani nation to face their own history, thus
paving the way for the democratic development of Azerbaijan and the
establishment of lasting peace between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
peoples on the basis of principles of international law and universal
human values.’

From: Baghdasarian

MEDIAS-PATRIOMOINE ARMENIEN
CNN consacre un reportage-photo à l’église Sainte-Croix d’Akhtamar sur
le lac de Van

La chaine américaine de télévision CNN a placé sur son site des photos
de six lieux touristiques de Turquie qui restent encore inconnus du
grand public. L’un de ces reportages est consacré à l’église
arménienne Sainte-Croix de l’île d’Akhtamar sur le lac de Van. « De
nombreux touristes se rendent en Turquie pour ses bords très
fréquentés de la Méditerranée ou visitent les grande mosquées ou le
palais d’Istanbul. Mais le pays est grand, il y a d’autres lieux qui
méritent le regard » écrit le site de la CNN. Le reportage lié au lac
de Van, le site affirme que le lac a une profondeur maximale de 400
mètres, sa longueur est de 120 km et il ressemble à une mer
intérieure. « Le lac de Van ne communique pas avec la mer, mais ses
eaux sont riches en sels minéraux qui lui donnent une couleur bleue
teintée de blanc. Il y a plus de 1000 ans, le lac faisait partie du
royaume d’Arménie. L’ancienne église arménienne Sainte-Croix se trouve
sur l’île d’Akhtamar qui se trouve à 3 km de la côte est décorée de
bas reliefs merveilleux et des constructions qui furent récemment
rénovées » commente CNN.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 18 janvier 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIE-SANTE
Une femme sur seize serait atteinte du cancer du sein en Arménie

En Arménie, une femme sur seize souffre du cancer du sein. Affirmation
de Khatchanouch Hagopian, le directrice du Centre se santé
arméno-américain lors d’une conférence de presse à Erévan le 15
janvier. Kh. Hagopian a informé que son centre recevait entre 35 000
et 36 000 malades par an. Lors des 17 années de son activité, le
Centre de santé arméno-américain a accueilli 325 164 personnes dont
182 831 pour examen des seins. Parmi ces dernières furent révélés 8
000 cas de cancers. Selon Kh. Hagopian les cas de cancers du sein sont
en augmentation constante en Arménie. Ses services rendent également
visite dans les régions d’Arménie pour dépister les cas de cancers du
sein. La région de Kégharkounik recensant le plus fort taux de cas.
Kh. Hagopian a également confié que les Arméniennes et les Juives sont
les plus exposées à cette maladie avant l’ge de 25 ans. Selon elle,
comme la « maladie d’Erévan » les facteurs génétiques sont importants
dans cette maladie. Les plus affectées sont les femmes de 35 à 60 ans.
Le Centre de santé arméno-américain n’étant pas un établissement
public, les examens médicaux ne sont pas gratuits et vont de 20 000
drams pour la mammographie à près de 1000 dollars pour des contrôles
plus poussés. « Mais chaque jour nous recevons une douzaine de malades
pour des examens gratuits » confie Kh. Hagopian et de conclure « le
dépistage précoce est l’un des gages de succès de traitement ».

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 18 janvier 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]

LECTURE AT NAASR BY LEVON CHOOKASZIAN
ON ART OF ARMENIANS OF CRIMEA AND ROMANIA

Prof. Levon Chookaszian will give an illustrated lecture
entitled “The Armenians of the Crimea and Romania as Seen Through
Their Art,” on Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. at the
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), 395
Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA. The lecture is co-sponsored by the
Armenian Museum of America, Inc., and NAASR.
Prof. Levon Chookaszian is the UNESCO Professor of
Armenian Art History at Yerevan State University and one of the
leading authorities in the world on Armenian art. He is the author of
two monographs: one on the art of 13th century Armenian miniaturist
Grigor (Grigor Tsaghkogh, 1986), and the other on the art of the
painter Arshag Fetvadjian (Arshag Fetvadjian, 2011). He has published
four hundred articles and reviews for scholarly journals and
newspapers on Armenian art.
Chookaszian has taught at Yerevan State University since
1978 and is one of the founders of the department of art history. In
1996 he established the UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History. Since
1992 he has delivered around two hundred lectures at universities,
libraries, and museums across the United States, Canada, Great
Britain, Italy, Lebanon, Greece, Germany, France, Hungary, and
Romania.
More information about Chookaszian’s lecture may be had by
calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or
writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

Belmont, MA
January 17, 2014

From: Baghdasarian

NEW ARCHIVES ENHANCE ARMENIAN JERUSALEM HISTORY PROJECT

by Arthur Hagopian

Published: Wednesday January 15, 2014

Archival photo of a Jerusalem Armenian family.

The Armenian Jerusalem website project, which has been set up with
the objective of chronicling and preserving the culture, history and
traditions of the Armenians of Jerusalem, is being enhanced in the
wake of new archival material contributed by friends around the world.

The new material casts an intriguing light on the vicissitudes of
members of this Jerusalem clan, and comes as a timely update to the
existing records.

Catching up with modern social networking trends in its quest to reach
a wider audience, the project has now created a Facebook page located
at () and is on Twitter at
().

Although the project is primarily of interest to Armenians, it welcomes
non-Armenians – whether scholars, researchers or mere visitors –
who are eager to learn more about the contribution of this clan of
hardy survivors who have helped make Jerusalem the centre of the world.

Acutely sensitive to Jerusalem’s unique character and the various
conflicts raging around it, the project’s Facebook administrators
unequivocally stress that its basic tenet is research and scholarship,
with absolutely no divergence into political or other controversy.

“Our whole aim is to portray the glory of Jerusalem and the vital
role Armenians have played in the evolution of its history,” they say.

Among the latest archival revelations, from a source in the United
States, is the story of the Armenian mason, Kevork Nercessian, who
arrived in Palestine, then under Ottoman rule, probably in the 1850’s,
from the town of Marash in Armenia (it is currently in Turkish hands),
seeking business opportunities in the land of milk and honey. He
owned a large tract of land in Safad in the Galilee, and eventually
became mayor of the city. He later sold his property to the British
who converted it into a hospital.

One of his descendants is the renowned Emeritus Professor of Philosophy
at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Haig Khatchadourian, a very
close relative of the composer/conductor Ohan Dourian.

Information from a source in Brazil reveals that another member of
the Khatchadourian clan, named Eli or Elias, who is said to have
spoken 15 languages, became an Ambassador in Palestine.

Armenians are scattered all over the world, the greater part refugees
or descendants of refugees fleeing Turkish pogroms which culminated
in the 1915 genocide, and spawned a mass exodus.

Thousands of children were orphaned, hundreds dying along the way from
disease or malnutrition. One and a half million Armenians had perished.

Among the survivors was a 4-year-old girl who was sent to a Christian
Approach Mission for schooling after her parents died. The mother
had tried to save her 11-year-old son by changing the date of his
birth so he could enter the priesthood but he ended up in an unknown
destination, perhaps Lebanon.

Another rootless family, the father drowned in the Mediterranean,
trekked to Jordan in a stumbling caravan of bedraggled refugees. In
Amman, the two little grand-daughters were forced to stack street tiles
in order to earn a living, while the grandmother, who had become so
exhausted along the road, she had wanted to just lie down and go to
sleep, suckled the babies of strangers for a pittance.

The paucity of documented chronicles has made the task of trying to
unearth the variegated story of the Armenians of Jerusalem extremely
difficult.

“Our major source of information, apart from official ‘domar’s
[records of births, marriages and deaths] maintained by the
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, remains anecdotal,” the project
administrators concede.

“The ‘domar’s we have accessed go back to only 1840,” they note,
adding more ancient documents exist in the Armenian Patriarchate,
but access to those is problematic at the moment.

“At the moment, we have neither the manpower nor the means to unearth
those archives and delve into them. It’s a mammoth undertaking and
would require years of work. Look how long it took one researcher,
Haig Krikorian, to complete his omnibus tracking back the “Lives and
Times” of the Armenian patriarchs of Jerusalem: eight years. We will
just have to wait for more opportune times.”

“Another factor complicating access and preservation of anecdotal data
is the that the major repositories of such information, the elders of
the community who are best equipped to regale us with their tales,
are passing away at an alarming rate, one after another, taking a
large, irreplaceable chunk of our story with them.”

Among the most recent Armenian losses is Araksi Kaplanian, who had
been living in Australia. Her husband, Kevork, a community leader, was
instrumental in founding the leading Armenian youth club in Jerusalem,
the Jerusalem Armenian Benevolent Club (JABU).

Earlier, Arshalooys Zakarian, a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge
about her compatriots, and a lifelong teacher and educator with a
son who became editor of a major US publication, had passed away.

Haig Khatchadourian’s brother Khatcho and his cousin Ohan Dourian
were other irreplaceable losses.

Perhaps, future researchers will fare better, now that the Armenian
Patriarchate has begun computerizing its records, an initiative taken
by the late Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, who wanted to unequivocally
reinforce the place of Armenian Jerusalem on the map of the world.

Jerusalem has always been a battlefield for the nations, and seems
likely to remain so until those nations beat their swords into
plowshares and their weapons into pruning forks, and not learn war
any more.

The relentless battles over Jerusalem have taken a heavy toll on the
city’s population, but in recent times, it is the year 1948 when the
first major confrontation between the Semitic cousins, the Arabs and
the Jews, took place, that stands out as seminal for the Armenians.

Even before the hounds of war were let loose, the Armenian community
had seen its numbers shrink drastically in the wake of an unprecedented
return of large numbers, back to their homeland in Armenia.

Death and devastation followed soon after as Arab and Jew lobbed
missiles at each other across the Walls of the hallowed city, several
landing in the lap of the Armenians, and claiming dire casualties.

But although the numbers may never again reach the magical figure of
25,000 just before the epochal year 1948, Armenian Jerusalem is here
to stay.

For even if only two Armenians remain to hobble among the cobblestones
of its alleys, “see if they will not create a new Armenia.”

Wherever they meet anywhere in the world. But particularly in
Jerusalem, “zahrat ul mada’en,” “yerushalaym shel zahav.”

Visit

From: Baghdasarian

HAGHPAT, LA PRIMAVERA DI UN MONASTERO ARMENO

La Repubblica, Italia
15 gen 2014

Sono amici e nati entrambi in Armenia nel 1986, ma ciò che Hayk
Avdishyan (fisico nucleare) e Anna Reymers (fotografa) hanno
in comune è racchiuso anche in queste foto. In una giornata di
primavera hanno deciso di immortalare il monastero di Haghpat, nel
cuore settentrionale dell’Armenia e riconosciuto dall’Unesco come
patrimonio dell’umanita. Tra i dettagli interni e la luce che sembra
scolpire i contorni dell’edificio, l’atmosfera è quasi mistica

(a cura di Agnese Fioretti)

From: Baghdasarian

JORDI SAVALL E LA MAGIA DELLA MUSICA ARMENA

Spettacoli, Italia
14 gen 2014

di LEONETTA BENTIVOGLIO
Aggiornato il 13 gennaio 2014

In scena a Roma il violoncellista e direttore d’orchestra catalano.

Una serata dal titolo “Spirito d’Armenia” con il suo gruppo Hespèrion
XXI e quello dei Musicos Armenios per far conoscere il patrimonio
musicale della più antica civilta cristiana d’Oriente

ROMA – Torna in Italia Jordi Savall, uno dei più amati e celebrati
interpreti della musica “altra”: dimenticata, lontana nel tempo o
nello spazio, da ripercorrere o svelare. Certe elegiache raffinatezze
medioevali e rinascimentali tratte da riscoperti manoscritti; certi
tuffi aurei nel barocco spagnolo; certi sontuosi pellegrinaggi
nella tradizione musicale sefardita e araba, e in paesi collegati
all’area mediterranea come la Turchia: rappresenta tutto questo il
violoncellista e direttore d’orchestra catalano, fondatore negli anni
’70 del magnifico ensemble Hespèrion XX, ribattezzato Hespèrion XXI
all’inizio del nuovo millennio. Negli anni ’90, grazie all’enorme
successo della colonna sonora del film di Alain Corneau Tous les
matins du monde, Savall ha conquistato una vastissima audience
internazionale, diventando uno tra i rari musicisti “colti” (anzi,
super-colti e rigorosamente filologici nel suo caso) entrati alla
grande in una dimensione pop. Tanto è stato il plauso ottenuto che
Savall, spinto dal bisogno di autonomia nelle raffinatissime scelte
artistiche, si è fatto imprenditore di se stesso, con l’etichetta
discografica Alia Vox e varie pubblicazioni.

Martedì 14 gennaio alle 20 e 30, nell’Aula Magna dell’Universita
di Roma La Sapienza (per l’Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti),
al solito sia come direttore che come solista, Savall proporra una
serata dal titolo “Spirito d’Armenia”. Saranno in scena il suo gruppo
Hespèrion XXI e quello dei Musicos Armenios, diffusori dell’emozionante
patrimonio musicale della più antica civilta cristiana d’Oriente. Con
lo stesso programma Savall si esibira la sera successiva a Napoli,
nell’Auditorium di Castel Sant’Elmo.

“Quella armena è una musica meravigliosa, frutto di gente che
ha sofferto per genocidi e massacri, e di una civilta che è
miracolosamente sopravvissuta alla propria tragica storia”, spiega
Savall, che alle 15 e 30 di martedì incontrera il pubblico e gli
studenti al Conservatorio Santa Cecilia di Roma. “Più grande è
il dolore di un popolo e più le sue musiche sono colme di forza e
dolcezza. Per gli armeni la musica è stata sempre fonte di energia
e di conforto, oltre che memoria delle radici. Producono una sorta
d’incanto i loro strumenti tradizionali, dal timbro simile alla voce
umana e dalle soavi vibrazioni che generano suoni al tempo stesso
sensuali e spirituali: un balsamo in grado di toccarci l’anima”.

Per questo ha voluto dedicare “Spirito d’Armenia” a sua moglie
Montserrat Figueras, grande soprano catalano scomparsa di recente?

“Montserrat ammirava i nostri amici musicisti armeni, ed era attratta
dalle profonde qualita poetiche del loro repertorio. Dopo la sua morte,
io stesso ho trovato consolazione nell’ascolto dei magici lamenti a
due eseguiti dal duduk, strumento ad ancia doppia, appartenente quindi
alla famiglia degli oboi (ma il suo suono è più scuro e rammenta
il clarinetto o il sassofono), e del kamancha, antenato del violino
dalla sonorita delicata e cantabile, con cassa armonica tondeggiante
e un numero variabile di corde – da due a cinque – suonate con un
arco. Creano atmosfere e melodie così intense e commoventi che ho
chiesto ai musicisti armeni di partecipare alle cerimonie organizzate
per l’addio a Montserrat. I loro interventi sono stati di una belta
sconvolgente. Da lì è iniziata una collaborazione che ha portato
a un disco e al concerto che stiamo presentando in giro per il
mondo. Hèsperion XXI viaggia molto: facciamo circa centocinquanta
concerti l’anno”.

Può parlare della sua casa discografica e della sua attivita di
editore?

“Alia Vox è nata nel ’98 e non è affatto un’impresa commerciale.

Facciamo solo quel che ci piace, da Bach a un tributo alla musica
siriana o a progetti votati alle musiche dei Balcani: serbe,
rumene, greche, sefardite… Abbiamo la liberta di scegliere, senza
condizionamenti. Ogni anno usciamo con circa sei dischi e ne abbiamo
venduti più di tre milioni. Negli ultimi tempi al disco si accompagna
un libro. L’ultimo, dedicato appunto alla cultura balcanica, è un
volume che pesa un chilo con testi in dodici lingue, e la prima
edizione ha gia venduto trentamila copie”.

Realizza di frequente progetti interculturali collaborando con altri
ensemble e artisti?

“Sì. Ho costruito un omaggio alla musica afgana, ho esplorato la
cultura musicale turca… Spesso le musiche sono consegnate soprattutto
al ricordo di chi coltiva ancora quelle tradizioni, come la musica in
Andalusia al tempo degli arabi o a Istanbul nell’epoca dell’Impero
ottomano. E’ arricchente al massimo questo scambio con musicisti
ricchi di antiche sapienze che per noi sono nuove”.

From: Baghdasarian