On 12 November the House of Music, as part of the international project marking the centenary of Charles Aznavour, gave the concert “Aznavour Classique”. The Russian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Sergei Tararin, Aznavour’s longstanding accompanist, the virtuoso pianist Erik Berchot, and Aznavour’s daughter-in-law, the singer Kristina Aznavour, immersed us in the creative world of a remarkable artist. Why do Aznavour’s works go on finding an echo in the hearts of listeners — listeners of every age and every country? The main thing, to my mind, is the boundless sincerity of the maker. Aznavour’s heart is open to everything there is in the world: joy, sorrow, love. It is open to us as well, the listeners who have come into contact with the artist’s inner life. Being the author of the music, the author of the words and the performer of his own songs, Aznavour attains an all but unattainable harmony of all three components of the art. By some marvellous means the artist paints us a triple picture: on one side the complex world of relations with the object of his love, his tenderness and his passion; on another the movement of his own soul; on a third the view from above, whence love is sent down to us. Such triple optics let us follow the past, the present and the future of the eternal love Aznavour sings. The unique harmony of verse, melody and performance touched the soul of everyone who was in the Svetlanov Hall of the House of Music that evening.
Aznavour’s art is humane, elevated and noble.