An essential album: Marine Manasian mixes Charents' poetry with modern music

For thousands of years, Armenians have shaped and created a culture - a sacred, profound culture that paves the way to beauty, authenticity, love and peace. Vibrant masterpieces burst forth from this relatively small country where its spirited people continue to show love for their homeland..  Yeghishe Charents is one of Armenia’s major 20th century poets, and one with whom I have a mystical connection. First of all he was my favorite poet at school, and then, many years later, he became the voice of Armenian literature in my own musical world. It all started with his poem “Gisher”, which which was a song on my previous album, Arevi Voski (a name taken from this poem). This song was the starting point for my music in which the voice of Charents plays such a pivotal role. LISTEN TO "Gisher" : https://soundcloud.com/marinemanasian/gisher The use of several of Charents' poems in my albums AREVI VOSKI and Qamuc Bardzr inspired me to create a new album based entirely on his lyrics. I chose his poems because his works convey profound melody, tenderness, metaphorical depth of imagery and an extensive sensual world. The album’s title 1303 comes from the 13th of March, the date Charents and I were born - almost 100 years apart - and the launch date for this campaign! I selected 13 poems for the album and wrote music to go with them. It took me two years to complete the album. Here is an extract: Why is it so important to release this album and to help us distribute and share it around the world:  The album 1303 is an opportunity to combine music with poetry that is over 70 years old, to make it available to a wider audience. Using traditional Armenian instruments in modern arrangements shows that Armenian culture is alive and inventive and can be understood by everyone. 1303 is a kind of key to understanding the Armenian language, culture and music, as well as a way of acquainting people living outside of Armenia with its culture. Many Armenians who emmigrated to other countries are increasingly drifting away from the culture of Armenia; the album 1303 is an opportunity for them to look at their culture from a different, more modern point of view, and to avoid feeling there is a gulf between the Armenian culture and the environment in which they live. It is an opportunity to draw inexhaustible inspiration, and to get to know the culture and to share it with others. After all, uniqueness is not an imitation of other people's ideas, nor the erasure of one own's nature, but the immersion in one's individuality and the manifestation of oneself through deep knowledge of who you are. The main songfrom my previous album AREVI VOSKI, released in 2019, was “Tamam Ashkharh”. It was written by the Armenian ashugh Sayat-Nova 300 years ago. I'd love the song “Tamam Ashkharh” for many years, and then, one day I decided to do my own version of it.  I wanted it to sound modern and accessible to everyone on the planet. It has since become my calling card and a favorite among my world-wide listeners.