Recently Charles Aznavour passed away at the age of 94 at his country home near Paris. Reading about his death brought beautiful memories of him to my mind, and I silently saluted his passing.
During my first hotel posting in Hong Kong, I was temporarily assigned to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for six weeks. Being in Montreal is like being in France, and at every step, you experience something that you’d see in Paris.
One evening friends and I went to the Place des Arts in Montreal to see a concert by Charles Aznavour. I’d not heard of him. However, when he began to sing (in French, of course), it was terrific. He was a talented and very engaging performer, especially when he sang the song La Boheme which has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it at that concert. He exuded the essence of being French.
Again, fast forward to many months later when I was back in Hong Kong at the Hongkong Hilton, my first posting. One day I happened to see a notice that Charles would be coming to Hong Kong and get this, would be holding a concert at my very own hotel, the Hongkong Hilton. Of course, I had to attend and invited a couple we were friendly with to accompany us to the concert.
The concert was totally fantastic, and our group had the opportunity to meet Charles at a private reception following the show. Immediately after meeting him, one of my friends said to us: “he’s Armenian, not French.” As luck would have it, my guest was, in fact, Armenian, and turned to speak to Charles again in Armenian. Wow, who knew?
Charles immediately responded in the same language, and for a few moments, the conversation around us ceased. When they finished this brief chat, Charles moved along, and my friend said: “his name is Charles Aznavourian.” Which of course, it is.
So mon Ami, each time I listen to you singing La Boheme, I’ll think of how you went from being a modest Armenian entertainer to a world-class powerhouse. I was so very fortunate to hear him in Montreal and months later, actually meet him in Hong Kong.
Life is genuinely filled with surprises.
Are we there yet? 