The king of accordion and bandoneon opens the secret of his name

Marine MARTIROSYAN | March 4, 2010

“It seems that Mario is painting a piece of art when he plays the music.” “Every time when you hear Mario playing, you see that his heart works faster than his music rhythm.” “No one can squeeze more feelings from the music of Astor Piaccolla than Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi.” This is how artists and people describe Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi’s music and meanwhile they are surprised that this young man has been able to attract the entire world with his music. - Are you in Armenia for the first time? - No, this is my fourth visit to Armenia. For the first time I visited Armenia with Tonino Guerra. He told me about the wonderful churches here; the churches of Noravank and Geghard. Armenia is situated in between Asia and Europe. Armenia is really very beautiful and one can find unbelievable solutions here. - Is it not an unbelievable solution to combine “the cooperation” of the music of accordion, bandoneon and orchestra?   - Maybe it is strange because...

Composer Armen Martirosyan: “We will bring the Eurovision to Armenia from Oslo”

Marine MARTIROSYAN | February 25, 2010

- As far as we know Nadezhda Sargsyan has suggested you to write a song for Emmy and Mihran for the Eurovision long before. Why did you change your decision? By the way, in a recent interview Nadezhda Sargsyan said a lot of people had committed to write a song for Emmy, and you were one of them. However she did not answer our question what happened. Did Eva’s producer pay you more? - Last fall I heard that Emmy would represent Armenia in the Eurovision 2010 competition. However I did not know that there would be a preliminary song competition. I knew that Emmy would be the one to go there and I received a call from Nadezhda Sargsyan. She said she wanted to propose a suggestion. Several days later I visited her with my friend David Bekjanian and we talked in their balcony. I was very happy to have the opportunity to write a song for Emmy, who had grown up in front of my eyes. At that time Emmy was in the US. There was an opportunity that I might leave for the US with another business. I though this would...

Eurovision triangle

Nune HAKHVERDYAN | February 9, 2010

It is the fifth year that Armenia participates in the Eurovision song competition, and almost every year the name of the participant is made public before the voting can be organized or the song can be selected. The Eurovision is a song competition but in Armenia it is accepted as a top point of a singer’s career, and a proof for having powerful contacts and sponsors. If a singer goes to compete with Europeans, this singer gets the right to say that he/she had to do it and did indeed. However, this year the competition is going to be hard in Oslo and even a strong and serious competition has been originated in the first phase of the competition in Armenia. We can even say that it is a fight between Emmi and Eva Rivas, and even with Razmik Amyan, who is considered to be the favorite of the year. These are the main three singers who are working to demonstrate their skills and talent during the competition to take place on February 8 on the air of the H1. They have better chances than the other seven participants....

“The real noble person is liable for his own person and the society”

Nune HAKHVERDYAN | November 21, 2009

Says world famous expert of arts Francesco Gallo, who has been friends with the prime minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi for 25 years. A lecturer of fine arts of Naples, famous expert of arts Francesco Gallo has already been visiting Armenia twice. During his one-week visit he had managed to do quite a lot. He had met with the family of Minas Avetisyan because he is planning to hold exhibitions of the pieces of Avetisyan in the large cities of Italy. He made a lecture for the students of the YSU. He also held a class with the school children by speaking about the links between the state and the art. Gallo is a great expert of fine arts (as perhaps many Italians). He is fashionable, genuine, lives in the art and for the art in his copyright articles, being released every week, in the Genaro magazine. Prior to the death of Gianni Versace he was the art advisor and friend of the well-known modeler. He is sure that in our rushing century the modern art has found its expression in high fashion. Having visited the...

The important thing is not the ornament but the sock

Nune HAKHVERDYAN | November 12, 2009

On November 7 Gafesjian Cultural Center for the Arts was inaugurated in a very pompous environment, which may become the greatest and most representative museum of modern arts in our capital city. It may become the greatest because it occupies a very good spot in the city; it occupies a large area, many halls on various floors, big investments and expensive exemplars. But it is hard to say whether this museum will really become a center of arts and it’s hard to say whether this will become center of art and whether it will attract people. Perhaps it won’t become famous by judging from the declarative statements of the representatives of the center. Indeed, Gerard Gafesjian has a passion for arts. And this already answers several questions. By welcoming the opening of a grand hall as a fact (finally not a restaurant or trade center is opened in our city but a center of arts) several questions originate immediately. It is strange but these questions don’t have monetary or political context (as...