Charles Aznavour, who died on the 1st of October 2018, is considered to be the best entertainer of the 20th century, and his name was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was the Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland and the Permanent Armenian UNESCO Representative.
Charles Aznavour wrote 1300 songs, played in 60 movies, released 294 albums, gave 1100 concerts in 94 countries and sold 200 million records. “I am always dissatisfied if not with someone or something, but sometimes with myself, but this is exactly what gives me strength to go on,” — he used to say.
At the age of 9 he started taking part in theatre plays, at the age of 12 he first appeared on the film set, at 21 he became famous, and at the age of 94 continued giving concerts and was planning a world tour. His last appearance in public was in Japanese Osaka literally 11 days before his death.
Azanvour’s life was amazingly similar to a story that he wrote about Parisian Bohemia — the Monmartre artists. Before becoming world famous, the son of Armenian emigrants lived in poverty and was starving, wrote lots of texts and songs, but no one needed them. A chance encounter with the public’s idol Edith Piaf changed his life. Charles became the shadow of the famed singer. He performed in the first parts of her concerts, wrote remarkable songs for her, such as “It is raining”, “Once” and “Jezebel”. That was the time, when Aznavour realized what real success felt like. In 1956 his first solo recital in “Olympia”, the main stage of France, went off triumphally, just as all his furthermost performances.
The public got to know Aznavour as a talented movie actor. During all his onscreen life he had an opportunity to work with the most famous directors: Claude Lelouch, Jean Cocteau and Claude Chabrol. But songs remained staying the most important thing in Charles’ career. He wrote them not only for himself but for the best world’s singers — Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Liza Minnelli, Yves Montand.
Aznavour always remembered his roots and a monument in his lifetime was raised in Armenia to honor his merits. The singer perceived the Spitak earthquake in 1988 as a tragedy of his own. He interrupted his tour and came to Armenia. Thousands of people all over the world responded the disaster and made donations to help the victims due to the song that Aznavour wrote and performed together with the chorus of 90 French celebrities.
In 1995 Charles Aznavour was appointed to be the Honoured Ambassador and the The Permanent Armenian UNESCO Representative. He also started representing Armenia in Switzerland since 2009. Thanks to his activity, a historical document was signed in Zurich — the Agreement for establishing diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia.
A public person and a politician, a poet, a composer, a writer, a scenarist, an actor, a director — the thresholds of Aznavour’s imaginative nature are countless. But still he, first of all, is the brightest representative of French chanson in the minds of the majority of people. He became the first French man to receive the Golden and the Platinum records for the song “She”. All his songs were more than just songs. People used to say, that Aznavour’s voice was the volcanic eruption, where there were words instead of lava as they were burning through not only the sense of hearing, but the heart itself.
O.Vasiliadi