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ISTANBUL GASPARYAN-BINGOL CONCERT A NO GO, CULTURE AGENCY SAYS
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 24 2010
Turkey
A scheduled joint performance between Turkish folk singer Yavuz
Bingöl and world-famous Armenian duduk virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan
will not happen in Istanbul on Sept. 1, despite previously successful
concerts with the pair in 2007 and 2008. Gasparyan says the show was
canceled while the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency
says the concert never received approval
'Performing together with Turkish artists has a special meaning for
me,' says Gasparyan. 'We produce a universal language for ourselves
with the notes.'
An Istanbul concert planned for Sept. 1 with Turkish folk singer Yavuz
Bingöl and world-famous Armenian musician Djivan Gasparyan will no
longer occur, disappointing the latter after the pair's extremely
popular dates in 2007 and 2008.
"It had been settled on the matter of the concert happening on Sept.
1," said Gasparyan, a master on the duduk, an instrument related to
the oboe. "A decision was made on the cancellation of the concert
but no explanation has been made to me yet. I am very sorry to hear
of these developments."
The Gasparyan-Bingöl concert was scheduled for March 6 as part of
the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture activities but the wife
of a member of Gasparyan's band was being treated for cancer and was
admitted to intensive care just days before the show. Gasparyan told
the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he chose to cancel the
show, but the 2010 Agency intervened and the parties instead decided
to postpone the concert until Sept. 1, which is celebrated as World
Peace Day in Turkey and northern Cyprus.
Now, however, there are conflicting reasons as to why the Sept. 1
date will no longer go ahead.
Although Gasparyan has expressed his sadness at the show's
cancellation, an official at the 2010 European Capital of Culture
Agency, which was organizing the concert, said the show had not
actually been canceled since the date had never received approval
even though a contract had been signed.
"We had put the concert on our agenda for March 6 but Gasparyan
decided to cancel it for private reasons," said the official, who
preferred to remain anonymous.
"Each one of my band members are like my children. I could not leave
them on their own during those hard times. That would not be worthy
of me," said Gasparyan when asked about the March 6 date.
"A contract might have been signed, but not every signed [contract]
means the project is approved. It should pass from the acting board
and get budget approval first. The concert being canceled is not an
accurate representation of the truth because the agency did not even
announce the concert," the official said.
When asked whether the tense relations between the two countries
might have affected the concert's outcome or not, Gasparyan said:
"I hope that is not the actual reason behind the cancellation. That
would hurt me deeply. I support the two countries establishing dialogue
with all my heart."
Gasparyan and Bingöl previously shared a stage in 2007 and 2008,
also on Sept. 1, calling on Turkish and Armenian people to find peace
through those performances. Both shows took place in Istanbul and
attracted great attention.
The Daily News attempted to reach Bingöl for comment on the issue, but
his manager said the singer was unavailable due to tour commitments.
"Performing together with Turkish artists has a special meaning for
me," said Gasparyan. "Maybe we do not speak a common language but
through music, we produce a universal language for ourselves with
the notes."
Gasparyan, 83, has roots in the eastern province of MuÅ~_. He was
awarded with the title of "People's Artist" in the Soviet Republic
of Armenia in 1973 and has also received four gold medals from UNESCO
due to his contributions to world culture.
The musician has shared the stage with renowned musicians such
as Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Lionel Ritchie. At the same time,
he has prepared the soundtracks for 39 Hollywood movies and is the
winner of a WOMEX award for contributions to world music.
Furthermore, Gasparyan was one of the closest witnesses to the
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement begun in 2008 through "football
diplomacy" - the World Cup qualifying matches played between the two
countries' national teams - performing a special concert in honor of
Turkish President Abdullah Gul when he visited Yerevan in September
2008. After the show, Gul presented a special plaque to Gasparyan.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 24 2010
Turkey
A scheduled joint performance between Turkish folk singer Yavuz
Bingöl and world-famous Armenian duduk virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan
will not happen in Istanbul on Sept. 1, despite previously successful
concerts with the pair in 2007 and 2008. Gasparyan says the show was
canceled while the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency
says the concert never received approval
'Performing together with Turkish artists has a special meaning for
me,' says Gasparyan. 'We produce a universal language for ourselves
with the notes.'
An Istanbul concert planned for Sept. 1 with Turkish folk singer Yavuz
Bingöl and world-famous Armenian musician Djivan Gasparyan will no
longer occur, disappointing the latter after the pair's extremely
popular dates in 2007 and 2008.
"It had been settled on the matter of the concert happening on Sept.
1," said Gasparyan, a master on the duduk, an instrument related to
the oboe. "A decision was made on the cancellation of the concert
but no explanation has been made to me yet. I am very sorry to hear
of these developments."
The Gasparyan-Bingöl concert was scheduled for March 6 as part of
the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture activities but the wife
of a member of Gasparyan's band was being treated for cancer and was
admitted to intensive care just days before the show. Gasparyan told
the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he chose to cancel the
show, but the 2010 Agency intervened and the parties instead decided
to postpone the concert until Sept. 1, which is celebrated as World
Peace Day in Turkey and northern Cyprus.
Now, however, there are conflicting reasons as to why the Sept. 1
date will no longer go ahead.
Although Gasparyan has expressed his sadness at the show's
cancellation, an official at the 2010 European Capital of Culture
Agency, which was organizing the concert, said the show had not
actually been canceled since the date had never received approval
even though a contract had been signed.
"We had put the concert on our agenda for March 6 but Gasparyan
decided to cancel it for private reasons," said the official, who
preferred to remain anonymous.
"Each one of my band members are like my children. I could not leave
them on their own during those hard times. That would not be worthy
of me," said Gasparyan when asked about the March 6 date.
"A contract might have been signed, but not every signed [contract]
means the project is approved. It should pass from the acting board
and get budget approval first. The concert being canceled is not an
accurate representation of the truth because the agency did not even
announce the concert," the official said.
When asked whether the tense relations between the two countries
might have affected the concert's outcome or not, Gasparyan said:
"I hope that is not the actual reason behind the cancellation. That
would hurt me deeply. I support the two countries establishing dialogue
with all my heart."
Gasparyan and Bingöl previously shared a stage in 2007 and 2008,
also on Sept. 1, calling on Turkish and Armenian people to find peace
through those performances. Both shows took place in Istanbul and
attracted great attention.
The Daily News attempted to reach Bingöl for comment on the issue, but
his manager said the singer was unavailable due to tour commitments.
"Performing together with Turkish artists has a special meaning for
me," said Gasparyan. "Maybe we do not speak a common language but
through music, we produce a universal language for ourselves with
the notes."
Gasparyan, 83, has roots in the eastern province of MuÅ~_. He was
awarded with the title of "People's Artist" in the Soviet Republic
of Armenia in 1973 and has also received four gold medals from UNESCO
due to his contributions to world culture.
The musician has shared the stage with renowned musicians such
as Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Lionel Ritchie. At the same time,
he has prepared the soundtracks for 39 Hollywood movies and is the
winner of a WOMEX award for contributions to world music.
Furthermore, Gasparyan was one of the closest witnesses to the
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement begun in 2008 through "football
diplomacy" - the World Cup qualifying matches played between the two
countries' national teams - performing a special concert in honor of
Turkish President Abdullah Gul when he visited Yerevan in September
2008. After the show, Gul presented a special plaque to Gasparyan.
From: A. Papazian