Taken from his 3rd solo piano 11-track album called Tributes, Hovig Nassanian sends us into an emotional and rather intimate experience loaded with deep memories called April 24.
Hovig Nassanian is a well-respected Lebanon-born Armenian indie pianist who lives in Cyprus with his wife and young son who has also started learning the piano.
”April 24 is a solemn day for us Armenians. Every year, on this day, we commemorate the death of 1.5 million of our people during World War I – the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Many of our leading intellectuals, poets and musicians were killed on April 24, 1915. I first wrote this tune around 20 years ago, as part of a musical project to honor the memory of the genocide victims. The project did not materialize, but the tune has been buzzing in my head ever since…and now finally, I recorded it as a tribute to the sacrifice and suffering of my people.” ~ Hovig Nassanian
As one of the classiest acts around no matter the genre, Hovig Nassanian displays his unparalleled skillset in the best possible way with a quite sublime rendition. Mellow in nature and quite understandably restrained, at a mournful memory which will be seeped into many generations to come.
April 24 from the experienced Armenian indie pianist Hovig Nassanian is one of those hugely memorable tributes which still scar many hearts. Performed with deep intensity and bringing us a real message that so many might have forgotten, we find a moment to close our eyes and remember those who were lost rather tragically.
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Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen