The legendary singer passed away in his own home in the south of France. Legendary singer Charles Aznavour

Charles Aznavour is a popular singer, legend of French chanson, composer, and actor. He is the author of 1,300 songs and has sold 200 million copies of discs worldwide. According to the results of a survey of magazine readers...

Charles Aznavour is a popular singer, legend of French chanson, composer, and actor. He is the author of 1,300 songs and has sold 200 million copies of discs worldwide. According to the results of a survey of Time magazine readers and CNN viewers, which took place in 1998, the singer took first place in the ranking of the best pop artists of the 20th century.

Shahnur Vahinak Aznavuryan is the real name of the world-famous French chansonnier of Armenian origin, Charles Aznavour. He was born in Paris in May 1924 into a Georgian-Armenian family that emigrated from Georgia. His father is from the town of Akhaltsikhe, not far from Tbilisi. Mom was born into an Armenian family living in Turkey.

In the 1920s, the Aznavourian couple left Russia. The final destination was America. But in Paris, the couple was delayed while waiting for a visa. The couple liked France so much that they decided to stay here. Soon their son Shahnur Vakhinak was born. He became the second child; the couple’s daughter Aida was already growing up.

The future singer, composer and actor grew up in a creative atmosphere. Both parents were artists. My mother played on the stage of several Parisian theaters, my father sang in operettas. Already at the age of 5, Charles Aznavour made his debut on stage. He played the violin. After 3-4 years, the boy performed Russian dances on stage and sang in the chapel of one of the churches.

The family lived modestly. Art rather brought satisfaction to the soul, but not food for the body. Therefore, the Aznavuryan family ran a small Armenian restaurant, where everyone worked - both adults and children. Often father and son sang in front of visitors to the establishment. But the crisis that came in the late 1930s forced the restaurant to close.

Charles Aznavour realized early on that his future would certainly be connected with art, so he studied at a children's theater school. To help his parents make ends meet, the boy performed in crowd scenes and played small roles, first in the theater and then in cinema. On the stage, the “little Armenian,” as his friends called him, played young Henry IV. And Aznavour appeared on screens in episodes of several films when he was 12 years old.

Music

The starting point of the creative biography of Charles Aznavour can be considered the 1940s. During this period, he met his colleague Pierre Roche. Like Charles, Pierre was a young composer and musician - he played the piano. The duet was called "Roche and Aznavour". Together they performed in clubs in France and neighboring Belgium. Roche sang more often, but not everyone liked Aznavour’s voice. Sometimes Charles was booed. Therefore, he wrote more music and poetry for the songs that his partner performed.

Duet "Roche and Aznavour"

In 1946, the famous Edith Piaf drew attention to the duo of talented but still little-known performers. The star invited the duo to go on tour with her in the USA. After this tour, Charles Aznavour, like his partner, became recognizable.

In the early 1950s, he was better known not as a chansonnier, but as a songwriter and composer. Aznavour writes compositions for many famous performers, such as Patasha, Mistinquet and Greco. He wrote the hit “Jezebel” for Edith Piaf. This is a remake of the American song of the same name. Soon, performed by Piaf, it turns into a real hit.

In the mid-1950s, the “little Armenian” and a real Parisian, having selected a suitable repertoire, went on a tour of North America. Thus began the brilliant biography of Charles Aznavour as a chansonnier. After his return, he signed a contract with the most famous French concert halls, Olympia and Alhambra. Critics greeted the singer coolly, but ordinary French people were captivated by this, although not ideal, extremely attractive voice. Charles's songs become hits. After 3 years, every performance of the famous chansonnier turns into an event. His concerts are always sold out.

In 1960, the legendary American Carnegie Hall opened its doors to the singer and composer. The performance of the French chanson star was a huge triumph. Now critics have recognized his talent. The artist’s repertoire includes hits “Emmenez-moi”, “Trop tard”, “Les comediens”, “J’me voyais deja”. Paul Mauriat takes charge of the orchestration of the chansonnier's songs. The maestro rearranges popular melodies for orchestra, further popularizing Aznavour’s work.

After a long tour of America, Europe and Asia, Charles Aznavour becomes a global star. His discs are sold in millions of copies. His hits “My Life”, “This Youth”, “Because”, “After Love” are sung on all continents. Charles Aznavour’s song “Eternal Love,” which he later performed with Mireille Mathieu, became especially popular.

In 1971, the film “Dying of Love” was released, for which the composer wrote and performed a song of the same name. It instantly turned into a national hit. And the film itself, winner of the Golden Lion, becomes mega-popular largely thanks to the song.

In 1977, Charles Aznavour gives his fans a new hit called “Camarade” (“Comrade”). The song has been at the top of the charts for a long time. She, and many other old and new hits by the chansonnier, were included in Aznavour’s album “I Don’t Know the Past,” which was released a year later.

In the new century, Aznavour participated in the recording of the joint album “Color Ma Vie” with Cuban Chucho Valdez, which was released in 2007. In 2008, Charles Aznavour performed the 1964 hit “Hier encore” in a duet with Elton John. In 2013, the song “You and I” was recorded from the 1995 album of the same name with Russian performer Polina Gagarina. The Frenchman happily visited Russia, periodically delighting fans with solo concerts, which were always sold out.

In 2014, a video was released for Aznavour’s song “La Bohème,” which was written back in the 70s.

Movies

A cinematic biography of Charles Aznavour is a separate chapter of his life. He inherited his acting abilities from his mother. The artist played his first notable roles in the films “Womanizer” and “Head Against the Walls.” And in 1960, when the film “Shoot the Pianist” was released, the chansonnier was invited to sing at Carnegie Hall.

Charles Aznavour in the film "Shoot the Pianist"

In 1963, the actor starred in the leading role in the melodrama Paris in August. And six months later, viewers saw the wonderful musical comedy “Mr. Carnival,” in which a new hit from the chansonnier “La Bohème” was heard.

During his long creative life, the artist starred in 60 films. He collaborated with such famous directors as Claude Lelouch, Claude Chabrol, Jean Cocteau and Rene Clair. The best films with the actor, besides those mentioned above: “The Testament of Orpheus”, “The Tin Drum”, “Crossing the Rhine”, “Taxi to Tobruk”, “The Devil and the Ten Commandments”, “The Time of Wolves”, “Long Live Life” and detective series "Chinese".

Charles Aznavour in the film "Ararat"

In the famous Soviet political detective story “Tehran-43”, which was released in 1981, the song “Life in Love” by Charles Aznavour and Georges Garvarents is also heard.

The last work in the filmography of the talented Frenchman of Armenian origin was the film “Père Goriot.” Aznavour starred in the title role.

Cry, France, cry! Cry, Armenia, cry! A little man, 94 years old, passed away, and the whole world gasped. The world is shocked.

He was a real chansonnier. And the whole Russian chanson, so beloved here, owes its origin to him, Charles Aznavour, and to the Russian prison, of course...

He confessed in his French so that every person on the globe understood what he was singing about, every single one. But just say “Eternal love” - and his voice immediately sounds, only his voice. So guttural, tragic and lyrical at the same time.

In Russia, Aznavour was especially loved. Because he is ours... His father was born in the Russian Empire, in Akhaltsikhe, Tiflis province, and his grandfather was generally the cook of the governor in Tiflis.

He never forgot his Armenian identity. In 1988, immediately after the earthquake in Spitak, he founded the charitable association “Aznavour for Armenia” and organized several events to collect assistance for the victims. A square in Yerevan is named after Aznavour, and a monument to him was erected in the Armenian city of Gyumri. Ten years ago, the then President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree granting Aznavour Armenian citizenship.

We can say that Aznavour expressed himself in this life like no other, completely. In 1998, according to a joint poll by Time magazine and CNN, Aznavour was recognized as the best pop performer of the 20th century. This means that Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson are only following him.

Back in 1946, Aznavour was noticed by Edith Piaf and invited him, along with composer Pierre Roche, to take part in a tour of France and the USA. His songs were performed by Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Liza Minnelli, Julio Iglesias, and in duets he performed with the same Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Domingo and Pavarotti...

It was a universal talent. He starred in more than 60 films by such directors as Rene Clair, Claude Chabrol, Claude Lelouch. Charles de Gaulle prophesied this to him: “You will conquer the world because you know how to excite.”

Last photo from Aznavour's Instagram. With Jean-Paul Belmondo.

“This voice, which seems to be on the verge of catastrophe and can become hoarse and fall silent at any time, the majestic voice of a mountaineer suffering from shortness of breath, but courageously conquering the peak, the dull and torn voice of a wounded bird, dropping wondrous songs of love onto the stage along with its feathers, this Stradivarius writhing in agony, this voice of a seemingly extinct volcano, which pours out words more for the heart than for the ear... is heard throughout the world.” This was said by Yves Salg, Aznavour's biographer. Die - there's no better way to say it.

...At the age of 90, Charles Aznavour performed in Moscow. This two-hour concert was sold out. And if you just want to know what kind of person he was, find the “White Studio” program on You Tube on the “Culture” channel, where he was a guest, it seems, quite recently. Then everything will become clear. He was a sage, philosopher, clever and citizen. A man who was ashamed of himself and his unprecedented popularity. A great man who was afraid to utter this word even in a whisper. But really great...

Charles Aznavour is the author of more than a thousand songs, many of which are included in the treasury of the French stage. He became the first French artist to receive a platinum disc in Europe. The total number of discs sold during the singer's career has already exceeded 100 million. His songs were performed by Ray Charles, Shirley Basie, Liza Minnelli, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and many other famous artists. According to a Time magazine poll, Charles Aznavour was named the best pop performer of the 20th century. Critics speak of the singer’s concerts as “two hours of tenderness, nostalgia and love,” and chansonnier Maurice Chevalier once said that this artist “sings about love in a way that no one has ever sung before. He sings the way he loves, feels and suffers.”

Charles Aznavour's real name is Shahnour Varenagh Aznavurjian. He was born on May 22, 1924 in Paris, in a family of immigrants from Armenia. Already at the age of five, Charles played the violin in front of the audience, and at nine he made his debut on stage, performing Russian dances. He also began singing from childhood, in the chapel of the Church of Saint-Severin. When he was thirteen years old, he played little Henry IV in the play “Margot” at the Odeon Theater.

After World War II, Aznavour returned to what he loved - he began acting in the theater, this time in the drama troupe of Jean Daste. In 1947, he began working in a duo with Pierre Rocher as a singer-songwriter. Despite the support of Maurice Chevalier and Edith Piaf, it took the singer more than 10 years to achieve public recognition. At first, critics were extremely unkind to this frail, homely owner of a hoarse, unremarkable voice. They also could not appreciate the theme of his songs, because the French stage of that time was characterized by a combination of sugary sentimentality and banality. But in Aznavour’s work something completely different was clearly visible: melancholy, nostalgia, irony and other taboo topics.

It was then, in the mid-50s, that the song "Apres l'amour" ("After Love") appeared in his repertoire, the content of which was considered too frank, so much so that it was banned from broadcasting on the radio. However, the artist did not give up and He performed in front of the public in clubs, since he was not favored on the radio. And, in the end, he achieved recognition. Moreover, it is generally accepted that the singer made a real revolution on the French music scene.

Aznavour's determination did its job: he became a star of the Parisian music hall, and then, after filming in films, his popularity increased even more. In 1960, he received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in Andre Caillatte's film Tomorrow is My Turn; he also starred in the films Shoot the Pianist, The Devil and the Ten Commandments, The Tin Drum, The Hatter's Ghosts, and Edith and Marcel." In total, his filmography includes more than 60 roles, and in one of the films with his participation - "Yiddish Connection" - Aznavour acted as not only an actor, but also a screenwriter.

In 1965, he staged the musical "Monsieur Carnaval" ("Monsieur Carnival") on the Paris stage, and it was then that the public first heard probably the musician's most famous song - "La boheme" ("Bohemia"). In 1969, the American Association of Authors and Composers awarded Aznavour a special award for the song "Hier encore", and in France he was awarded La Medaille Vermeil for this composition.

In the early 70s, the theme of problems and tragedies of people living in different parts of the Earth appeared in Aznavour’s songs. He writes and performs on stage sad compositions “Le temps des loups” (about the cruelty of city life), “Comme ils disent” (about homosexuality), “Mourir d’aimer” (a melody from the film of the same name about reporters chasing hot facts) For "Mourir d'aimer" the composer was awarded another prestigious award - the Golden Lion - at the Venice Film Festival.

Then, in collaboration with composer George Garvarents, Charles Aznavour began writing the operetta "Douchka". Over time, songs of a social and political nature appear more and more often in his repertoire; for example, in 1975, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Turkey, he created the ballad “Ils sont tombés”.

Best of the day

In 1988, after the tragic Spitak earthquake, which claimed thousands of lives, Charles Aznavour founded the charitable association "Aznavour pour l"Armenie" ("Aznavour for Armenia") and organized several events to help the victims. For one of these events, he invited Henri It is also true that 90 other French singers and actors, in collaboration with whom a charity video for the song “For You, Armenia” was created, sold a record number of 2 million copies. In gratitude, Aznavour was awarded a diplomatic passport of the Republic of Armenia and appointed permanent ambassador to UNESCO. .

In 1991, the singer published a collection of song lyrics and short prose entitled “Des mots a l'affiche". At the same time, he acquired the rights to publish many popular French songs, including recordings by Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet. However, his new role - as a businessman - does not interfere In 1997, 73-year-old Aznavour was recognized as the best singer of the year in France and received the Victoires de la Musique award, and in 2000 he wrote a musical dedicated to the life of the French artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. The musical "Lautrec" took place in London in April of the same year and was very well received by critics.

Together with his family - his wife and three children - he lives in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Despite his age, Aznavour continues to work and tours a lot around the world - when he turned 75, he simply could not leave the stage and said: “I am going to work until I am 90 and die at 100.” As for his upcoming Moscow concerts, the singer is very happy to perform in Russia, because, according to Aznavour, the most friendly and emotional audience awaits him here.

The famous French chansonnier, composer, actor Charles Aznavour died on October 1. He was 94 years old. The chanson legend left a legacy of dozens of world-famous compositions and films.

Charles Aznavour is a legend of French chanson, he is the author of 1,300 songs, and has sold 200 million copies of discs worldwide. According to the results of a survey of Time magazine readers and CNN viewers, which took place in 1998, the singer took first place in the ranking of the best pop artists of the 20th century.

Charles Aznavour: The unexpected death of a singer

Charles Aznavour was supposed to perform in Russia in April of this year. The great French chansonnier arrived in St. Petersburg and was ready to go on stage, but literally an hour before the start of the concert he was hospitalized. The concert, of course, did not take place.

The organizers, however, postponed it, but to April 2019: the singer’s schedule was too busy. This concert was later cancelled. The causes of the illness were not stated at the time.

In May, Aznavour suffered a double fracture of the humerus and canceled several more concerts: in Germany, Great Britain and Spain. It was assumed that the world tour of the 94-year-old performer would resume in the fall, but on October 1 it became known that Charles Aznavour had died.

Charles Aznavour: Biography

Charles Aznavour is a popular singer, legend of French chanson, composer, and actor. He is the author of 1,300 songs and has sold 200 million copies of discs worldwide. According to the results of a survey of Time magazine readers and CNN viewers, which took place in 1998, the singer took first place in the ranking of the best pop artists of the 20th century.

Shahnur Vahinak Aznavuryan is the real name of the world-famous French chansonnier of Armenian origin, Charles Aznavour. He was born in Paris in May 1924 into a Georgian-Armenian family that emigrated from Georgia. His father is from the town of Akhaltsikhe, not far from Tbilisi. Mom was born into an Armenian family living in Turkey.

In the 1920s, the Aznavourian couple left Russia. The final destination was America. But in Paris, the couple was delayed while waiting for a visa. The couple liked France so much that they decided to stay here. Soon their son Shahnur Vakhinak was born. He became the second child; the couple’s daughter Aida was already growing up.

The future singer, composer and actor grew up in a creative atmosphere. Both parents were artists. My mother played on the stage of several Parisian theaters, my father sang in operettas. Already at the age of 5, Charles Aznavour made his debut on stage. He played the violin. After 3-4 years, the boy performed Russian dances on stage and sang in the chapel of one of the churches.

The family lived modestly. Art rather brought satisfaction to the soul, but not food for the body. Therefore, the Aznavuryan family ran a small Armenian restaurant, where everyone worked - both adults and children. Often father and son sang in front of visitors to the establishment. But the crisis that came in the late 1930s forced the restaurant to close.

Charles Aznavour realized early on that his future would certainly be connected with art, so he studied at a children's theater school. To help his parents make ends meet, the boy performed in crowd scenes and played small roles, first in the theater and then in cinema. On the stage, the “little Armenian,” as his friends called him, played young Henry IV. And Aznavour appeared on screens in episodes of several films when he was 12 years old.

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