Armenian composers talk about Armenia
Marianna Gevorgian, musician of the ancient music ensemble “Tagharan” and winner of several international awards, recently gave a solo concert in the city of Trivandrum, India, accompanied by Indian musicians, presenting the works and arrangements of Sayat-Nova, Khachatur Avetisyan and other musicians. The evening was held during the WOW (World of Women) organized by Kerala Arts and Crafts Village. Marianna says that each day was dedicated to a specific area: jewelry, costumes, dance, carpet weaving, etc.
Marianna Gevorgian went to India as a guest of honor. She will admit that it was very nice that they entrusted her with the musical part. “At the concert, which lasted more than an hour, I wanted to play only Armenian music, but when we were there, I thought it would be fair to present an Indian piece, which was also performed by the singer Amrita Rachan, accompanied by Indian musicians.
They were joined by tapla player Mahesh Mani, pianist Rohit Krishna, Chinshu Varma, who had seven musical instruments: tarpuk, kanon, asalato, reinstick, chimes, shakers, splash. All of them were very talented musicians. It was a pleasure to work with them. Not understanding each other’s language, we spoke in the cosmic language of soul and music,” explains the artist.
According to Marianna, the goal was to bring the music to the audience and to transmit an unforgettable potential, in which they succeeded. “We managed to outdo ourselves,” says the artist and adds that people were very warm and hospitable, they loved her and her art, and Armenia.
They even tried to communicate in Armenian. At the end of the concert, the organizers of the event presented Marianna Gevorgian with a letter of gratitude, a letter of thanks and a prize for the high quality concert. The rule appeals not only to Indians, but also to the English. “My neighbors at the hostel were an English couple. We got to know each other, they were very interested in Kanon’s music, they even expressed their desire to be present at the concert, although the seats were already sold out.
I explained to them, “you will accompany me to the concert and as it is customary in Armenia, you will say that we are the guests of Marianna Gevorgian and so you will have seats in the first row. That’s what they did. I was very happy and during the concert I noticed a smile,” said the Kanon player.
Marianna Gevorgian had the opportunity to give a number of interviews and, taking advantage of the opportunity, she spoke about the problems affecting Armenia. The interviews were conducted in English, but in order to resonate with the Armenian language, as well as to express it more fully, one of the interviews was conducted in the native language. “I said that I would not only play music, but I would tell the story of Armenia and my life. I talked about our pains, the genocide of Armenians, the wars, I especially talked about the 44-day war in Artsakh,” she said.
The Kanon player also spoke about many world-renowned Armenians who constantly shine on the country’s platforms and stressed that she and the Armenian nation are proud of their talents. Marianna is not only attracted by the willingness of the Indian side to support her, to organize everything brilliantly, but also by the culture of the country. “I visited the local university, interacted with professors and lecturers, went to the birthplace of the Indian gods Shiva.
There are places in India that are inaccessible, but when the guide introduced himself to me, they were paying tributes to me, people were very excited. I got acquainted with Indian food, I tried their traditional clothes. I really liked Trivandrum, the people, and most of all, the ocean and the hot sand. As they would say, I was in God’s house. According to the locals, “God created the earth, he kept this paradise for himself”, Marianna remembers enthusiastically and adds that for the coming vacations India also expects the Armenian public.