Vigen Hovsepyan- Helé Helé (Dikranagerd Version) 

Vigen Hovsepyan- Helé Helé (Dikranagerd Version)
Produced and Arranged by Vigen Hovsepyan
UPC# 192914299646 (Pomegranate Music)
About The Music:
Dikranagerd is the former name of what is now known as the city of Diyarbakir, Turkey. Named after Tigranes the Great, it was once the capital of the Armenian Kingdom dating back to the first century BC. During the Ottoman Empire, it was considered one of the six provinces (vilayets) of historic Western Armenia (now Eastern Turkey). After the Armenian Genocide of 1915, this area has mainly been inhabited by Kurds and crypto-Armenians.
Helé Helé is an Armenian folk song that has three versions. There is this version, along with those from Kessab(Syria) and Musa Ler (Turkey). The Dikranagerd version is more upbeat and has different lyrics. It has been preserved and presented in popular culture mainly by Onnik Dinkjian, a legendary Armenian-American singer born in Paris, whose ancestors were from Dikranagerd. The song has been passed down from generation to generation even though there are virtually no Armenians left who speak the unique Dikranagerd dialect. We were able to obtain the distinct Dikranagerd lyrics from his Onnik's son, noted composer and oud player Ara Dinkjian.
In 2011, a brief renaissance in acknowledging Armenian culture in the region sprang up in Diyarbakir (Dikranagerd) with the consecration of St. Giragos Armenian church, the largest Armenian church in the Middle East at that time. This period did not last long as the Turkish government destroyed the church in 2017 as part of their war waged against the Kurds. The church was part of the collateral damage done to the city.
Helé Helé (Dikranagerd Version) is ultimately a happy song that captures the enduring spirt of the Armenian people. This reinvigorated version of Helé Helé by Vigen Hovsepyan was recorded in 2017 intended to be the lead single from an upcoming album due in 2019. However, events in Armenia (The White Revolution or Velvet Revolution) in April and May of 2018 altered this timeline.
This special digital single is being released earlier than expected. Vigen Hovsepyan and Pomegranate Music would like to dedicate the spirit of this song to the independent media in Armenia, who captured the Velvet Revolution of Armenia (2018) like no other. - Raffi Meneshian
Credits:
Recorded in Yerevan, Armenia at Gata Studios (October 2017)
Recording Engineer: Garegin Arakelyan
Vocal and Percussion: Vigen Hovsepyan
Pku, Clarinet: Harutyun Chkolyan
Kopal: Artur Baljyan
Bass Guitar: Gurgen Ebejyan
Programming: Garegin Arakelyan
Photo and Design Credit: Arsineh Valladian
Archive Lyrics Provided by Ara Dinkjian & Onnik Dinkjian
Music History Consultant: Martin Haroutunian
Executive Producer: Raffi Meneshian
A Pomegranate Music Production
Legal:
Sound copyright (p) and publishing rights (c) Pomegranate Music 2018- San Leandro, CA USA
RU-vid Rights: Vigen Hovsepyan- 2018
Pomegranate Music represents Vigen Hovsepyan