NEWS: Istanbul Gasparyan-Bingöl concert a no go, culture agency

NATIONAL Wednesday, August 25 2010 11:23 GMT+2


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Istanbul Gasparyan-Bingöl concert a no go, culture agency

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

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 Hürriyet 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 Muş. 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 Gül when he visited Yerevan in September 2008. After the show, Gül presented a special plaque to Gasparyan.