Recently, the concert with Orchestra Mobile band held in the ancient “Parnasos” concert hall in Athens, under the baton of conductor of Honored Artist of Art of Armenia, Ruben Asatryan, consisted of exclusively of the works of Armenian composers.
It was dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The event was attended by Greek singer Sonia Theodoridou who performed the works of Ayvazyan, Babajanyan, and Satyan, and Greek-resident duduk player Vahan Galstyan played the interpretation of the work “1915” by Aram Satyan written for the duduk and the orchestra.
Ruben Asatryan
In the interview with “Aravot”, Ruben Asatryan said that the events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide have commenced in Greece still at the beginning of year with a commemoration ceremony held in the Square of the Memorial dedicated to the Armenian and Greek victims in New Smyrna in 1979. “In 1919-22, during the Greek-Turkish war, the Turkish Kemalist government troops, receiving the financial, military, political and moral support and assistance of the great powers, implemented the killing and looting of the Greek and Armenian civilian population in Smyrna,” said our interlocutor. He also noted that the Deputy Mayor of New Smyrna, Vangelis Khachaturian, the members of ARF “Aram Manukyan” and the youth of “Dro” group and, of course, the Armenian community have a great role in the completed and expected events.
Ruben Asatryan is impressed by the audience, which included, according to our interlocutor, not only Armenian and Greek audiences, but also foreigners, as well as the Mayor of New Smyrna, Stavros Tsulakis with his staff. Caption: “Genocide Monuments” Album
“The “Genocide Monuments” Album authored by Deputy Mayor of New Smyrna, Vangelis Khachaturian, which presents the stone monuments of Armenia and Artsakh, is published in Greek and English languages,” said Mr. Asatryan. To our curiosity of whether the Deputy Mayor has no intention to present it to the Armenian reader, too, Ruben Asatryan replied, “Mr. Khachaturian is willing to meet with the officials of the Yerevan City Hall and to make a presentation of the book in our country, too.”
Samvel DANIELYAN,
“Aravot” daily
