Little moon rising

>> Armenian singer Lousnak on tragedy and triumph


by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Asked to describe Armenian music, Montreal singer Lousnak sums it up in a single word. “Old,” she says, “I’d say it’s old. When you hear it, you feel like it’s ancient. Some people also describe my voice this way. I have a feeling it has to do with our history.”

That history is a tragic one. In 1915, the Turks massacred 1.5 million of their ethnic Armenian minority, setting the devastating precedent for the many genocides of the 20th century.

Although this happened almost a century ago, the memory has not faded. Since 2000, Montreal-based, Lebanese-born Armenian Lousnak (whose name means “little moon”) has been putting on an annual memorial concert. Note that tragedy, while having inspired these shows, will not dominate the proceedings. “I’m not going to only make people cry, talking about the genocide. It’s going to be joyous, also.”

In that spirit, Lousnak has again corralled a variety of guests. “I told them to take into consideration that it’s going to be dedicated to the genocide, so choose the music accordingly.”

The list includes cellist Claude Lamothe, Brazilian singer Bïa, talk of the town Fredric Gary Comeau (“His CD has become my fetish album, I listen to it all the time,” says Lousnak) and more. “There’s also a rumour that Eric Lapointe will be there, but it’s only a rumour right now.” The only Armenian to join her will be her own brother Hraïr, playing a flute called the doudouk—fans of the Peter Gabriel album Passion will immediately recognize its distinctive sound.

“There are some of my own compositions,” Lousnak says of the set list, “which are inspired by the traditional songs. There are also pieces that are 300 years old, only rearranged in a way I see them fitting now. I don’t pretend to do traditional folk music, that would be too pretentious. We don’t play the instruments, my musicians aren’t Armenian—and I’ve never seen Armenia, so I can’t pretend to do that. I’m an artist working in Montreal, so that’s what the music sounds like.”

An artist working is right! Beyond this annual show, Lousnak toils by day as a graphic designer, a practical application of her love for the visual arts—she also paints and draws for herself. She’s also getting her debut CD together, intended for release in September. If indeed the album comes out at that point, the timing will be exquisite. September is also the anticipated release time for Ararat, the latest film from Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan, starring two other notable Armenians, Eric Bogosian and Charles Aznavour.
“I think it’s on for Cannes in May. I have a very important role in it. Do you know Arshil Gorky? He was a painter, best friends with [Willem] de Kooning. His mother was very present in his life—he did the famous painting, ‘The Artist and his Mother.’ Atom’s taken his story and put it into the context of the genocide. It’s a realist fiction—about the genocide, not a biography of Gorky. I play the mother, and I sing in the film as well, a song that I usually do at my show.” :

At Lion d’Or on Wednesday, April,24, 8:30pm, $15