Yousef Jalali

Press TV, Tehran

A special night of Armenian music in the heart of Tehran featuring Iran’s National Orchestra performing pieces by top Armenian composers.

Conducted under the baton of Iranian-Armenian maestro, Razmik Ohanian, the concert saw the performance of compositions by Komitas, Aram Khachaturian, Edward Avedisian and Iranian-Armenian composer, Loris Tjeknavorian.

The concert was accompanied by three soloists coming from Armenia. Samvel Galstyan was amazed by Iranians’ level of interest in Armenian music.

Loris Tjeknavorian’s amazing composition, Love Song, was also performed during the concert. What made the event special was the presence of the prominent composer among the audience.

The maestro believes music is the language of God that is understood by all people and needs no translation.

He believes music has long brought Iranians and Armenians together.

Iran is home to some 70,000 Armenians. Most of them are the descendants of expatriates who fled persecution by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. They have close cultural and social interactions with Iranians and regard Iran as their new home.

This is a special night for Armenians to showcase the beauty of their music, which appeals not only to their fellow Armenians, but to all listeners regardless of their background. And that’s where the universality of the language of music comes into play.