— By Jean Eckian
French freelance journalist
That day, Wednesday, December 7, 1988, it was 11:41 in Armenia (8:41 in France – and December 6: 23:41 in Los Angeles), when a terrible roar will spring from the bowels of the earth on the surface of the cities of Gumri (ex Leninakan), Spitak and Kirovakan, announcing of the deadliest earthquake ever known in Armenia. 25,000 victims, nearly 20,000 wounded, thousands of orphans, entire cities to rebuild …
In Los Angeles, Georges Garvarentz is still in the studio, attentive to the recording of a film score, he knows nothing of the catastrophe that has just struck Armenia, but Aïda, his wife, heard the terrible news in a televised flash. Upset, she decides not to tell him anything so as not to disturb him in his work. It is the next day, aboard the flight Los Angeles-Paris, that he will learn from the mouth of the sister of Charles Aznavour, what the ancestral land had just undergone. Now, Georges Garvarentz, famous composer of many successes of the French song, already thinks to write a music. He must first see Charles who puts a point of honor to write the lyrics, then set to music.
When Georges records in Los Angeles, Lévon Sayan, manager of the author of « They fell » (Ils sont tombés), is on a plane flying to Paris from New York. It is December 7, 1988. After landing in Paris, Lévon hears the news that an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale has just hit Armenia.
In Paris, for Charles Aznavour, it’s stupor
So everything goes very fast. Lévon Sayan rushes to the phone. At the other end of the line, Charles Aznavour. Ideas fuse. Should we organize a concert? Create an association? In the emergency, the association is created. It will be « Aznavour for Armenia ». To build it, Lévon uses Armenian friends, including Nora and Daniel Artinian, Alain Barsikian, Dominique Adjian, and his wife Anne-Marie Sayan.
Race against time
On their return to France, Georges and Aïda Garvarentz then find Charles Aznavour. They will work all night to write what will become « For you Armenia » (Pour toi Arménie).
The French media largely cover the event. Charles Aznavour is solicited from all sides. He announces the creation of the association « Aznavour pour l’Arménie ». The next day Levon’s office is full of parcels, checks and offers of help.
At the same time, the idea of appealing to French artists has made its way. « For you Armenia », is one of France’s answers to the appeal for help launched by the Armenian friend.
To contact the artists a team was formed around Lévon: Gérard Melet (artistic director at Trema Records) Katia (Katia promotion), the Raffi brothers and Patrick Shart and your servant. No refusals were recorded. Only impossibilities of professional order.
Meanwhile, in Gumri and Spitak, the toll was growing day by day.
The miracle
For 9 long hours, Charles Aznavour and Georges Garvarentz will not spare their time to teach the artists the song while Henri Verneuil (Achod Malakian) was preparing the filming of the video. Then the miracle happened. This areopagus of artists who have nothing in common except to belong to the families of song, film and television, in styles sometimes distanced from that of Charles Aznavour, will offer – and it was be seen in the eyes – the best of themselves when sounded the word « HAYASTAN ». No doubt, that day, Mount Ararat poured a snowfall like a tear.
