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| Born and raised in Armenia, Armen moved to the United States with his family at the age of 15. Armen holds a Master's degree in Violin Performance and Instrumental Conducting; he has studied music in Europe and the U.S. Although he has been the conductor for Yanni's orchestra since 1995, he also served as Concertmaster during the '94 tour. According to Armen, Yanni hired him as a conductor "on faith" --- "he had never watched me conduct an orchestra." |
"To be honest, a few years ago when he was talking about it, the idea was so amazing. I myself was very skeptical, understandably so. But the truth is, it happened. We did it." Anassian said from Richmond, Va., where Yanni's Tribute tour performed last week.
"I guess that's how things get done, how dreams come true. Unless you dream, you will not see the materialization of them one day."
Anassian, 34, was born and raised in Soviet Armenia, and moved to the United States with his family when he was 15. He was classically trained as a conductor and violinist before being hired by Yanni as a concertmaster in 1994. "I did one tour as concertmaster and I got to know him very, very well." He heard me play many times, but he hired me as conductor on faith. He had never watched me conduct an orchestra." "That's how Yanni does many things," Anassian said.
"He heavily relies on his instincts, and I am happy to say, they're usually good. Especially when it comes to people, when it comes to audiences, when it comes to music, and what's expected of him."
Anassian said the Tribute video looks great but watching it on film cannot compare to actually being at the Taj Mahal and Forbidden City concerts. "It doesn't feel the same. It doesn't smell the same," he said with a laugh. "It's hard to put it in a nutshell. It was a life-changing experience." The contrast he encountered in India were profound.
"Unless you go to India...you cannot fathom that poverty and deprivation on the one hand and such overwhelming beauty as the Taj Mahal on the other hand. There was always that conflict that dominated my days in India."
He said that he hears form many fans about how Yanni's music has had a positive impact on their lives, but from the conductor's podium he's working too hard to notice. "We're so involved in the music, we take it for granted. We do it every day. But we see the audience response. We see his savvy and intelligence about what the audience needs."
Anassian describes Yanni as "very optimistic" and has observed that "nothing really fazes him." That outlook carries over naturally to his music.
"I don't think it's a goal, per se. He's very honest with his own feelings. His music really comes from the heart. He writes music with ease, the music comes out with relative ease. The feel-good portion of the music is a by-product. It coincides with what the people love to hear. I don't think that, before he writes something that he says, "Let's write something that makes people feel good, or feel a certain way."