In 1970, Armenian academician Varazdat Harutyunyan published the “Architecture in the ancient world”, and in a different corner of the world Deep Purple issued ‘In Rock’ album with the song ‘Child in Time’.

A year later, in 1971, the great Armenian painter Martiros Saryan finished his last painting, “The dream”, and Deep Purple released another album, ‘Fireball’.

I would be born a few years later, in 1976. Another 14 years fast forward, and I am waiting in vain for Ian Gillan at the staff entrance of Sports and Concert Complex for several hours with the hope of obtaining his autograph. Now, let me take you to 2019, when I welcome Gillan to Yerevan for the fourth time and spend a wonderful evening in his company at Gouroo restaurant. It stands in the yard of Varazdat Harutyunyan’s house, next to the Saryan House-Museum. Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi and I climb the stairs to the second floor and enter Harutyunyan’s office, where he most likely wrote the “Architecture in the ancient world”.

Back in the yard, an easy conversation flows about Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton, our daughters, Jesus Christ Superstar… It is a warm Yerevan night, accompanied with wine, delicious food, good talk and memories.

One of them takes me back to the May of 1990, to the last one of Ian Gillan’s 4 concerts in Armenia. He would bend down and touch hands with the audience during the performance, and I was standing very close to the stage, so at some point luck favored me too: the legend looked me in the face and touched my hand too. 29 years later, we sit together in a yard in Yerevan and talk, talk, talk.

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We have just welcomed the guests at the airport, and on our way to the hotel, Tony Iommi recalls a visit Brian May recently paid him and takes out his phone to show the photos they made together. I met with Brian May in October of 2010, at the Armenian Embassy in London, where he was invited to accept the Order of Honor. We exchanged emails a few times afterwards, but when Iommi shows me his photos with May, my brain has a problem processing that I am actually acquainted with these people.



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In Gyumri, Gillan and Iommi meet with the founder of the legendary folk-rock band Bambir, Gagik ‘Jag’ Barseghyan. Jag speaks very little, but his wife Anahit Mirijayan later tells us that Jag said to her, “I spoke to them in silence.” His son Narek, the new generation of Bambir, has a more active contribution and gifts the guests Bambir’s ‘Armenian Scotch’ album. It makes me recall that my good friend Charles Lonsdale, former UK Ambassador to Armenia, is a fan and supporter of Bambir. In 2009, he helped me solve the issues I thought were unsolvable and invite Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi in Armenia for the first time.

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Naregatsi Arts Institute’s Orchestra is playing Black Sabbath’s ‘She is Gone’ with Armenian folk instruments.



Iommi and Gillan sit in the front row, focused on the performance. It is a beautiful, symbolic, very emotional moment. Tears are welling up in my eyes, and I try to hide them. This moment is the culmination of all the love, passion and efforts that we poured into the project. It is huge love that has brought the people we thought of as unapproachable in the 70s and the 90s and us to this moment in 2019, when we walk as friends in Yerevan.

Ara Tadevosyan is Director of Mediamax