Author: Emil Lazarian

k
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
February 9, 2007 Friday 5:11 PM MSK
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian <[email protected]>
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Alrosa said eyeing gold producer AGRC in Armenia

Russian diamond producer Alrosa (RTS: ALRS) or its investment arm IG
Alrosa are interested in buying Ararat Gold Recovery Company (AGRC)
in Armenia, an industry source told Interfax.

The source said a Russian specialist was in Armenia, examining the
state of affairs at AGRC.

The source said the Armenian authorities were not satisfied with
AGRC’s performance. He said the Armenian Environmental Protection
Ministry had, following its latest inspection, accused the company of
violating environmental standards and of concealing 1.6 tonnes of
gold, and that officials from the Tax Inspectorate and Prosecutor’s
Office were inspecting the company’s paperwork.

AGRC is not confirming that talks are in progress.

AGRC is owned by Sterlite Gold Ltd, which in turn is 55% owned by
India’s Vedanta Resources. Private non-resident investors own the
other 45% of Sterlite Gold. Vedanta Resources bought the 55% of
Sterlite Gold for $32 million in 2006.

The Zod gold deposit, where AGRC operates, contains an estimated 80
tonnes of 2.6 million ounces of gold.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Yuri Merzlyakov disagrees with opinion that key
elements on Karabakh are settled
09.02.2007 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian Co-chair OSCE Minsk
Group, disagrees with the opinion of his American counterpart Matthew
Bryza concerning the fact that the key elements on the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement had been agreed less technical details. `I can’t
call them technical ones,’ said Mr Merzlyakov. According to him, the
previous commentary by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
on 1-2 substantial issues that need final coordination is more
correct.

The Russian mediator said that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs are
planning to organize regular meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan in early March 2007. `We are focused on the
issue. However, there has not been a final agreement yet. We want to
schedule it not later than March, 2007,’ said Mr Merzlyakov. At the
same time, he considers that the consultations of all the three
Co-chairs expected in Paris next week is unlikely to take place.

Speaking about the fact that the OSCE U.S. Co-chair, who is also
occupied with oil and gas issues in the Caspian region, would
participate in the Paris Energy Conference, Yuri Merzlyakov did not
rule out that Mr Bryza would meet his French counterpart, Bernard
Fassier, reports Trend.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #025, 10/02/2007

Nagorno-Karabakh Issue

MERZLIAKOV AND BRYZA COMPETING IN VERBIAGE

"Diaspora" – a New Word in Mamedyarov’s Lexicon

OSCE Minsk Group’s Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzliakov, according to
allegations by "Trend" news agency, disagrees his American colleague Matthew
Bryza that the main terms of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement are
already made agree and arranged.

Mr. Merzliakov informed that the Minsk Group is at present working on the
arrangement of the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers
and that no certain decision has been made yet. He added that nothing can be
said of the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan before the
end of the Parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia, May 2007.
Meanwhile PACE president Goran Lenmarker believes that the Karabakh problem
will find its solution in 2007. According to Azeri mass media, he expressed
confidence that the sides will be able to come to a mutually beneficial
agreement. Mr. Lenmarker added that there will be no need to publish the
rapport on Karabakh peace process, in case the problem is solved beforehand
and that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov is agree with the
terms of the rapport.

In his return Mamedyarov on his meeting with Lenmarker declared that the
activity of Armenian Diaspora in various states negatively affects the
foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia. Diaspora’s actions threaten the
stability in the South Caucasus region, he said. It is interesting, what
will be the next new term to enrich the eloquence of the Azerbaijani
propaganda.

By A. Harutiunian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+

LEVON TER-PETROSYAN WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTIONS
[05:37 pm] 09 February, 2007

Why does first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan keep silent? `In my
opinion he has no place in today’s political field’, said member of the
Armenian Pan-National Movement administration Hovhannes Igityan. According
to him, some people may agree with Ter-Petrosyan’s ideas, others may not,
but `no one can say that he is not a politician, or he entered the world of
politics for the sake of his own welfare’.

`Even those people who betrayed him, still respect him, not because he was a
President, but because he is different’, Hovhannes Igityan announced.

The Armenian Pan-National Movement will participate in the upcoming
Parliamentary elections, but most probably the first President of the RA
will not top any list. `I don’t think Levon Ter-Petrosyan would like to
participate in the elections’.

Hovhannes Igityan announced that when the Movement quit politics in 1998,
the country was deprived not only of the authorities which had ideology, but
also of the opposition which had ideology. In any case the member of the
Movement Administration considers that the present authorities have lost the
game, as they go to the elections armed and accompanies with bodyguards.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pentagon prepares for possible war with Russia

09.02.2007 13:41

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – U.S. Defense Secretary thinks that American armed
forces must be ready for a large-scale war, the Associated Press
reports.

`We need a full set of measures to conduct a war, including both
special military units necessary for war against terrorists and
infantry troops to be able to fight against large regular armies. We
do not know what changes can take place in such countries as Russia,
China, North Korea, Iran and others,’ Robert Gates stated.

He made this statement February 7 during hearings in the U.S. House
Committee on Armed Services, when congressmen were discussing United
States’ military budget of FY2008.

Gates supported the military budget, which supposes to increase the
number of U.S. infantry and marines. These measures must increase the
number of `free detachments’ under the control of Pentagon, in order
to be able to respond to possible new threats.

It is worth mentioning that after the end of `cold war’ Russia and
China were not labeled by the higher command representatives of
U.S. army as potential enemies alongside with North Korea and Iran,
which are included in the list of the so called `axis of evil’,
Lenta.ru reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO VAZGEN MANUKIAN, POPULAR MOVEMENT SHOULD DEVELOP IN
COUUNTRY TO ENSURE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Although 85% of the country’s
population is against the current authorities, the dejection of
people, pulverization of the opposition, and the legislative
amendments on electoral commissions give no chance to the opposition
to struggle for fair elections. In this sense, as Vazgen Manukian,
Chairman of the party "Union of National Democrates" (UND), member of
the RA National Assembly "Justice" faction, said at the February 9
briefing, the 2007 elections will be the most difficult compared with
the previous ones. V. Manukian expressed an opinion that it will be
possible to win the elections in case of existence of a popular
movement with the aim of changing the situation in the
country. Otherwise, it is impossible to ensure free and fair elections
just by technical means. According to UND chairman, in order to
intitiate a popular movement, the opposition should run for elections
not in separate parties but in 2-3 groups, one of them being their
leader.

He said that now negotiations around this issue are underway, and
results will be known by late February. He said with confidence that
among the opposition unions, one capable of leading the people will
form. V. Manukian noted that by speaking about free and fair
elections, the authorities hope to conceal riggings to be
committed. However, in his words, even if the authorities succeed in
deceiving foreign observers, the people will be able to see the
falsification.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CAR OF PANORAMA.AM WEBSITE’S OWNER BURNED

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Nissan Exterra car of Ara
Saghatelian, owner of the newspaper "My Right" and panorama.am
website, was burned on February 8 at about 8:15 p.m. Speaking about
the details of this incident, A. Saghatelian said: "The car was in
the editorial office’s yard. In the evening, I uasually come to the
office to familiarize myself with the work done, give advice and take
some coordinating actions. About 6-7 minutes after entering the
office, I heard the sound of my car’s alarm. I went out and saw my car
burning. I took off my jacket and attempted to put out the fire, at
the same time shouting to neighbors to bring water. At that moment I
noticed a bottle with gasoline on the car roof. Later I found another
two bottles near the car." A. Saghatelain does not suspect
anyone. "I cannot tell whether the incident has a relation to my media
oulets or not. I have no personal enemies," he noted. At the same time
he said that they work "in a normal way and do not take rude steps,
thinking that speech freedom has its reasonable limits and presupposes
social responsibility." An investigation was initiated in connection
with the case.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Panorama.am

19:37 09/02/2007

HERITAGE PARTY CONDEMNS BURNING OF MEDIA OWNER’S CAR

The press services of `Heritage’ party say in a statement, `The Heritage
party is deeply concerned with the acts of violence before the parliamentary
elections. In this context, we strongly condemn the burning of the car
belonging to Ara Saghatelyan, owner of Panorama.am web portal and My Right
newspaper.

It is evident that recently some forces try to deepen the atmosphere of fear
created by the ruling administration of the republic and try to limit free
speech and free expression of will. Not only opposition forces, but those
media representatives that try to channel truthful word to the public are
targeted by terrorism.

We demand to end these illegal acts and to discover and punish all
transgressors – both those who are professionalized in violence and their
customers.’

Source: Panorama.am

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Caucasus
Hanging together

Feb 8th 2007 | BAKU
>From The Economist print edition

The implications of a diplomatic shift in an important oil-rich region

WHEN God was parcelling out land to the peoples of the earth, the Georgians
arrived late. But their explanation-that they had been drinking in his
honour-so delighted God that, according to a Georgian creation myth, he
granted them the world’s choicest spot. The gods have indeed favoured
Georgia this winter, bestowing a mild one when a harsh one might have been
disastrous. But the Georgians owe thanks also to an earthly benefactor:
their neighbour Azerbaijan, whose oil-fuelled foreign policy is transforming
the volatile but vital Caucasus.

Since the revolution of 2003 that swept Mikhail Saakashvili to Georgia’s
presidency, his yen to join NATO and the European Union has infuriated the
Kremlin. Last autumn, the Russians imposed postal and aviation blockades,
alongside the existing embargoes on Georgia’s water, wine and fruit. Then,
with winter approaching, they doubled the price for Russian gas-in theory
for commercial reasons, but with the real aim of taming Mr Saakashvili.

Yet, for all Mr Saakashvili’s high-profile rambunctiousness, the most
important country in the Caucasus is Azerbaijan. With around 8m people, most
of them Shia Muslims, it has the biggest population. It also has oil and
gas, which a consortium led by BP is extracting from the Caspian Sea and
pumping through new pipelines across Georgia to Turkey and beyond. All the
Caucasian economies are now picking up, after collapsing with the Soviet
Union-even corrupt Armenia’s, dependent though it mostly is on remittances.
But the growth created by Azerbaijan’s second oil boom (the first was 100
years ago) was the highest in the world last year: 34.5%, says the finance
minister.

Azerbaijan’s president is Ilham Aliev, who inherited the job from Heidar,
his strongman father. The younger Aliev seemed also to have inherited the
Caucasian skill of diplomatic balance, eschewing Georgian-style
pyrotechnics. But that careful equilibrium appeared to change in December,
when the Russians tried to hike the price of the gas that, despite its own
reserves, Azerbaijan was itself still importing. The idea was apparently to
stop Azerbaijan helping the Georgians with cheaper supplies.

"Commercial blackmail," said Mr Aliev. Azerbaijan stopped importing Russian
gas altogether-and, thanks to the warm weather, gas from Azerbaijan seems
set to help Georgia through the winter. Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijan’s
foreign minister, says his country is merely "taking responsibility as a
regional leader." Mr Saakashvili is more exuberant: "a geopolitical coup",
he says of the new gas arrangements. The truth is, Mr Aliev now needs Mr
Saakashvili too. Azerbaijan’s future, and Mr Aliev’s power, rest on the new
pipelines, which have bound their two countries together, and bound both of
them to the West. In a few years they may also carry Kazakh oil from the
other side of Caspian, and-perhaps-gas from Turkmenistan. That would undo
Russia’s grip on the supply of Central Asian gas to Europe, and is as
unpopular an idea in Moscow as it is welcome elsewhere.

Two things undermine the hope that the fractious Caucasians have finally
learned to hang together, to their own benefit and that of Western energy
consumers.

One is domestic politics. Russia’s diplomatic power may be waning, but its
political model remains popular. Armen Darbinian, a former Armenian prime
minister, quips that his and other post-Soviet countries have become
"one-and-a-half party states": a party of power, plus others that are
basically decorative. In Azerbaijan, opposition activists are regularly
harassed and locked up. Like Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will
all hold presidential polls next year. Mr Aliev will surely win his; the
whisper in Baku is that his wife will take over next. But another whisper is
that, in the absence of democracy, Islamism is on the rise-encouraged, say
some, by Iran to the south.

The Islamists, says Ali Kerimli, a disgruntled oppositionist, curry favour
with their complaint that "the West sells democracy for oil." Others say the
threat is fanciful. The call to prayer rings across the boutiques and
restaurants of downtown Baku, but there are actually more hijabs on the
streets of London, says Ilgar Ibrahimoglu, an imam. All the same, things may
change if too much of the oil money goes into nepotistic contracts and
vanity projects, and too little on diversifying the economy and easing the
grinding poverty in which many Azerbaijanis still live.

The other big Caucasian danger is war. Russian support for South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, two enclaves that broke away from Georgia in the 1990s (see map),
is one of Mr Saakashvili’s main gripes. Azerbaijan also lost a secessionist
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, a part of Soviet Azerbaijan mostly populated
by Armenians. Mr Aliev periodically makes dark threats about retaking
Azerbaijan’s lost territory by force, though a flare-up in Georgia currently
looks likelier.

Mr Saakashvili says Russia’s economic embargo "achieved the opposite of what
was intended", and that Georgia has found new markets. Suitably cheered, he
this week hosted Mr Aliev and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shaking hands
on a new railway that will link the Caucasus to Europe-but miss out Armenia.
Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s foreign minister, complains that there is an
existing railway across Armenian-controlled territory that could be used
instead. The railway, like the pipelines, symbolises what the countries of
the Caucasus can achieve together, but also how far apart they remain.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN REPORTER
PO Box 129
Paramus, New Jersey 07652
Tel: 1-201-226-1995
Fax: 1-201-226-1660
Web:
Email: [email protected]

February 10, 2007 — From the Arts & Culture section

1. Nuclear art: Three Egoyans in four acts

2. Cheers to POMEGRANATE WHISKY

3.Arts Briefs
* BEAUTIFUL ARMENIANS on Watertown cable in February
* New Armenian sacred music
* Zulal’s Anaïs, Teni & Yeraz: In their own words
* Minnesota Book Awards honors Akçam’s new book
* The ARMENIAN REPORTER wants your art briefs

****************************************** *********************************

1. Nuclear art: Three Egoyans in four acts

* Atom in words, Eve in notes and Arsinee in Berlin

by Paul Chaderjian
Special to the ARMENIAN REPORTER

* Act I: Atomic Thinking & the Bigger Picture

The fascinating genius of Atom Egoyan is the subject of a new book
titled IMAGE AND TERRITORY: ESSAYS ON ATOM EGOYAN. Editors Monique
Tschofen and Jennifer Burwell, both English professors at Toronto’s
Ryerson University, offer cinephiles and fans nearly 500 pages of
thought-provoking essays about Egoyan’s body of work. The book is
published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

IMAGES AND TERRITORY features both in-depth essays and interviews
about one of the most talented artistic voices of the era. Penned by
leading film and media scholars, the book offers an insider’s
perspective into the mind of the award-winning director, producer,
writer, musician and artist. The essays also give the reader a
perspective of how Egoyan’s vision and words fit into, push forward,
or challenge grander milieus like the arts, philosophy and politics.

Inspiration, logic, relationships, and aesthetic are some of the
themes explored in this multidisciplinary, must-read collection of
essays about the nucleus of the man, the sought-after Hollywood
director, the cult hero indie filmmaker, and Canadian and Armenian
royalty.

While you’re on Amazon ordering the book, you may consider adding to
your DVD collection titles like the ADJUSTER, SPEAKING PARTS,
FELICIA’S JOURNEY, EXOTICA, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, WHERE THE TRUTH LIES,
CALENDAR, and of course, ARARAT.

* Act II: Mrs. Egoyan, AKA Arsinee Khanjian, takes Berlin

The 57th Annual Berlin International Film Festival opened this week
with a program of 343 films from 46 countries. One of the films chosen
to be on the Bernali’s film program this year is STONE TIME TOUCH,
starring Arsinee Khanjian.

The Canadian-Armenian film, directed by 36-year-old Gariné Torossian,
will screen on February 9, 10 and 11. Torossian, like Khanjian, was
born in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada. She says the film, her first
feature, captures the diversity of communities in Armenia, the
extremes and complexities of history since the Genocide, and explores
Armenian identity and the meaning of the homeland.

* Act III: All about Eve

Critics are still raving about Eve Egoyan’s January 25th performance
with the Victoria Symphony. Under the direction of conductor Tania
Miller, Eve (Atom’s sister), was the featured piano soloist, taking on
Rudolf Komorous’ piece for piano called THE SEVEN SIDES OF MAXINE’S
SILVER DIE.

The GLOBE AND MAIL said Egoyan’s remarkable playing balanced the
delicacy of the piece with intense focus, "holding all in a net." The
newspaper’s Elissa Poole writes, "Egoyan timed these decelerations so
perfectly that the spaces in between the notes were still charged with
presence. Similarly when scales made way for chords, it was possible
to imagine them as the same object perceived within different time
frames."

Want to know "All about Eve," point and click your way to
, check out her CDs, read the reviews, and get to
know another talented Atomic electron from Canada’s Garden of Eden.

* Act IV: Fusion vs. Fission? Censors Vote for Violence

Atom Egoyan is on film talking about the illogical rating system used
by the Motion Picture Association of America. In the new documentary
THIS FILM IS NOT RATED, Egoyan is interviewed by filmmaker Kirby Dick
about the shadowy board which controls what audiences in the U.S. see
on big and small screens.

The documentary exposes the ratings process, the subjective dynamics
and the religious-right influenced decisions that directly determine
how films are made and whether or not they are successful. THIS FILM
IS NOT RATED unmasks the decision makers who serve on the board, work
behind closed doors, and often favor big-budget studio-produced films
over independent ones.

Egoyan is interviewed about how the MPAA board threatened him with an
NC-17 rating for WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. The board told the director
that he had to make certain shots in the Kevin Bacon-Colin Firth movie
fuzzy to receive an R rating. In the documentary, Egoyan asks the head
of the board: "Would you like to edit my next film?"

Along with Egoyan, other bewildered directors interviewed about the
MPAA rating system include Kimberly Pierce (BOYS DON’T CRY), Kevin
Smith (JERSEY GIRL), Wayne Kramer (THE COOLER), Mary Heron (AMERICAN
PSYCHO), and John Waters (A DIRTY SHAME).

**************************************** ***********************************

2. Cheers to POMEGRANATE WHISKY

by Aram Kouyoumdjian

"I want to go back to France," she drones, rolling the "r" and the
cigarette in her hand. "She" happens to be the Statue of Liberty,
depressed and embittered, and bored of American shores – at least as
imagined by performance artist Lory Tatoulian in "Pomegranate Whisky,"
her latest cocktail of comedic monologues and musical numbers. The
faux cabaret plays Sunday nights at the Heartbreak House Studio in
Atwater through March 18.

Among the evening’s many highlights, the Statue of Liberty segment is
particularly memorable, thanks to Tatoulian’s sophisticated humor and
the deadpan hilarity of her performance. Lady Liberty longs for Paris
as she laments her diminishing role in welcoming immigrants and, in a
sharp political jibe, confesses fearing relocation to the Mexican
border as a guard against illegal crossings.

Despite her youth, Tatoulian is a veteran solo performer whose credits
include "Sitting Twisted, Talking Straight" and "Unplucked." Press
materials describe her as an "actress and playwright whose work
explores issues of cultural identity, gender, and ethnic community
dynamics," all true. In "Pomegranate Whisky," she morphs into diverse
characters in a dozen vignettes, promising to leave her audience
"shaken and stirred."

The show actually opens with a lesser piece about a Southern cosmetics
consultant hell-bent on introducing Western beauty techniques to the
women of the Middle East through her "Operation Makeover Takeover."
Unfortunately, "Takeover" never really takes off, despite Tatoulian’s
spot-on parody of the make-up maven.

The evening soon shifts into high gear, however, with Tatoulian’s
kinetic portrayal of a chicana madly in love with Los Angeles mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa. As she struts around exuding attitude, Tatoulian
engages in some fearless physical comedy, even as she shows off her
skill with accents and detailed, telling gestures.

Proving her versatility and range, Tatoulian follows that piece with a
vodka-swilling Russian man’s existentialist riff on Communism.
References to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy ("funny guys") abound in the
literate monologue, which often breaks into an absurdly distorted
version of "I Love Paris."

The musical portions of the program are consistently witty. While
Tatoulian can claim credit for the clever lyrics, the arrangements and
original compositions are the work of Ara Dabandjian, who provides
instrumental accompaniment not just on keyboards, but also guitar and
accordion.

The most risqué among the songs is a subversive take on "My Favorite
Things," the all-too-familiar tune from "The Sound of Music." In her
gleeful rendition, Tatoulian – now sporting a British accent, natch –
strips the song of its family-friendly lyrics and substitutes
mischievous double entendres about the monthly visit of Aunt Flo.

The standout musical sequence of the show, however, is a medley of
Armenian children’s songs that Tatoulian performs to sultry jazz
rhythms. The concept is so inspired and the execution so flawless that
one wishes Tatoulian were in an actual cabaret club rather than the
somewhat drab studio where the show is currently staged.

Although Tatoulian is dynamic throughout the show, portions of the
evening that deal with Armenian themes and characters carry special
resonance. An improvisational bit about Armenian history fell a tad
flat during a recent performance, but Tatoulian was masterful in one
of her signature roles, the middle-aged, middle-class transplant from
Beirut to "the hills of the Glendale."

Tatoulian captures the chatty lady’s traits – from her mannerisms to
her diction – so precisely that the resulting performance proves not
just hysterically funny, but painfully honest. To be sure, the
character’s unchecked, inappropriate remarks generate hearty laughs
(the suggestive ring of her heavily-accented pronunciation of "vacuum"
leaves the audience in stitches). Yet, the power of Tatoulian’s comedy
lies in her ability to satirize the provincialism and materialism of
the character and of certain strata within the Armenian community that
she represents.

So, if it’s Sunday night and you’re in the mood for a drink, try
"Pomegranate Whisky." You will taste a wide range of surprising
flavors, from sweet vermouth to bitter gin, with a splash of Armenian
oghi thrown in.

********************************************* ******************************

3.Arts Briefs

* BEAUTIFUL ARMENIANS on Watertown cable in February

The independent documentary BEAUTIFUL ARMENIANS by Tamar Salibian is
broadcasting five days a week on Watertown’s Comcast cable channel 10
or RCN cable channel 13. The hour-long program airs on Fridays at 7
P.M., on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 A.M. and on Mondays and
Thursdays at 4 P.M.

In BEAUTIFUL ARMENIANS* Salibian reflects on the interrelation of
culture, family, and memory. Part travelogue, part family chronicle,
part meditation, BEAUTIFUL ARMENIANS starts in the United States and
eventually moves to the Middle East. Salibian weaves interviews,
portraits and comedic moments into a film about the place of the
individual in the contradictions of transnational identity.

Anahid Kassabian, film curator and professor at the University of
Liverpool says that Salibian’s "story sense is terrific" and the film
explores its subject with "subtlety, empathy and humor."

connect:
menians

* New Armenian sacred music

A new composition of Armenian sacred church music — the Badarak or
Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church — has been written by
San Diego-based composer George Kirazian and performed by the Pacific
Camerata choral group.

Composing the Badarak was a 12-year labor of love for Kirazian, who
became intimately familiar with the Yegmalian and Gomidas-composed
Badaraks while singing in San Diego’s Saint John Garabed Armenian
Church. With love and respect for the Yegmalian and Gomidas versions,
he was inspired to compose a new version of the music, combining both
modern sensibilities and traditional harmonies while retaining the
original text.

A published author and English professor at Grossmont College for
nearly forty years, Kirazian has always dedicated himself to music
since studying opera and literature at New York University as a young
student.

Selected sharagans from Kirazian’s BADARAK were recently performed by
the professional choral group, Pacific Camerata, which also plans to
record the composition.

connect:
bd.html

* Zulal’s Anaïs, Teni & Yeraz: In their own words

"We had a wonderful time in L.A. at the Mosaic Concert. The concert
was well organized by Hamazkayin, and the audience was incredibly
receptive to Zulal. We had such a warm reception from the audience
after the show, and it was truly a wonderful experience. From teens to
the older generation, it seems like we touched people and that felt
really wonderful. There’s already talk of organizing the next Mosaic 2
concert, so we might be back in L.A. again before we know it."

"As for the rest of this year, we’ll be taking a performance break to
really focus on our second album. Teni, our soprano, just moved back
to New York from Boston. So, the three of us are once again living in
the same city, and we have a found new energy to forge ahead on
several new projects."

"We’ve been working with several film directors to create music for
their soundtracks, which has been exciting. With our second album
coming out towards the end of this year, we already have booking
agents calling us to plan our concert tour, which will include New
York, L.A., and several cities in Europe."

(Editor’s note: Zulal is on the soundtrack of Arsinee Khanjian and
Gariné Torossian’s film STONE TIME TOUCH, playing this weekend at the
Berlin International Film Festival).

connect:

zulal

* Minnesota Book Awards honors Akçam’s new book

Taner Akçam’s A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question
of Turkish Responsibility has been named a finalist in the 19th annual
Minnesota Book Awards.

The statewide honor will pick from nearly 300 books entered in eight
categories. A SHAMEFUL ACT was one of five finalists in the General
Nonfiction category, which at 90 entries was the toughest to win.

In addition to the General Nonfiction honor, A SHAMEFUL ACT is
eligible for the Readers’ Choice Award. Minnesotans will have a chance
to vote online for this award between March 1 and April 15.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, May 5, at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel on the Saint Paul Riverfront in downtown. From 1 P.M. to 2:30
P.M. on May 5, the finalists will appear at a book signing at the
Central Library, 90 W. 4th St., Saint Paul.

connect:
[email protected]
www.th efriends.org/mnbookawards.html

* The ARMENIAN REPORTER wants your art briefs

The ARMENIAN REPORTER newspaper’s new weekly Arts & Culture section
wants your arts, entertainment, and cultural news headlines and story
ideas.
We want to know what Armenian artists and community and cultural
organizations are up to, what your accomplishments have been, and what
your future plans are. Write us if you know of or have heard about
Armenians doing anything that you feel is interesting for other
Armenians to know about, and we’ll follow up.

contact:
[email protected]

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Please send your news to [email protected] and your letters to
[email protected]
(c) 2007 CS Media Enterprises LLC. All Rights Reserved

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress