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The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble & New CD
http://www.gurdjieffensemble.com/
THE NEW CD IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON:
HTTP://WWW.AMAZON.COM/MUSIC-GEORGES-GURDJIEFF-LEVON-ESKENIAN/DP/B0051O9SGW
ABOUT GURDJIEFF, THE ENSEMBLE & PROJECT
Gurdjieff is known to many in the West as one of the major spiritual
figures of the 20th century. His extraordinary musical repertoire
was based on the music he heard during his journeys in Armenia,
the Caucasus, the Middle East and many parts of Central Asia, India
and North Africa, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual
music, rituals and dance traditions. Levon Eskenian has chosen and
arranged those pieces that have roots in Armenian, Greek, Arabic,
Kurdish, Assyrian, and Caucasian folk and spiritual music for Eastern
folk instruments.
The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble was founded in 2008 by
the Armenian musician Levon Eskenian with the aim of creating
ethnographically authentic arrangements of the G.I. Gurdjieff/Thomas
de Hartmann piano music. The ensemble consists of leading Eastern
folk instrumentalists in Armenia playing duduk, blul/nay, saz,
tar, kiamancha, oud, kanon, santur, dap/daf, tombak and dhol. Its
repertoire mainly consists of G.I.Gurdjieff's original compositions,
as well as some works by ashoughs' (troubadours), traditional and
spiritual Armenian pieces chosen to further illustrate Gurdjieff's
musical influences. Organized by Naregatsi Art Institute, the ensemble
had its first concerts in Gyumri, Armenia-Gurdjieff's birthplace.
Gurdjieff is known to many in the West as one of the major spiritual
figures of the 20th century. His extraordinary musical repertoire
was based on the music he heard during his journeys in Armenia,
the Caucasus, the Middle East and many parts of Central Asia, India
and North Africa, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual
music, rituals and dance traditions. This music consists of some 300
pieces and fragments for the piano, composed in the 1920's in the
manner of dictation from Gurdjieff to his pupil, Thomas de Hartmann,
the Russian composer and pianist.
It is important to note that Eastern musical traditions are strongly
characterized by their own unique instruments and instrumental
combinations and these indigenous Eastern instruments are capable of
producing microtonal intervals, rhythms and other nuances that are
essential parts of Eastern music. Naturally, most of the instrumental
music that Gurdjieff heard during his travels was performed on Eastern
folk instruments.
It is noteworthy to mention that he also amassed a collection of
Eastern instruments (which resided at the Chateau du Prieure at
Fontainebleau) that he had intended to use for authentic performances
of folk music and dances.
Through rigorous study of the instrumentation and performance practices
of the musical traditions of each ethnic group, Levon Eskenian has
chosen and arranged those pieces that have roots in Armenian, Greek,
Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, and Caucasian folk and spiritual music for
Eastern folk instruments. From an ethno-musicological perspective,
these pieces are a valuable source of information on Eastern ritual,
folk, and sacred music from an era before audio recordings.
We have learned from de Hartmann's notes that Gurdjieff gave much
importance to the perception of Eastern music and how it was played on
authentic Eastern folk instruments. In 1919, Gurdjieff sent de Hartmann
and his wife to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where de Hartmann
gave concerts of European music and of works by Armenian composer
Komitas (The pillar of Armenian classical music,ethnomusicologist
and decipherer of khaz-the Armenian music notation system). As
de Hartmann describes, "Mount Ararat was wrapped in a shroud of
mist-an unforgettable sight. To accompany this vision there was
authentic Eastern music played on...the tar - a kind of stringed
instrument. Through this trip to Erivan.... Gurdjieff gave us the
opportunity of listening to Eastern music and musicians, so that I
could better understand how he wished his own music to be written
and interpreted."
http://www.gurdjieffensemble.com/
THE NEW CD IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON:
HTTP://WWW.AMAZON.COM/MUSIC-GEORGES-GURDJIEFF-LEVON-ESKENIAN/DP/B0051O9SGW
ABOUT GURDJIEFF, THE ENSEMBLE & PROJECT
Gurdjieff is known to many in the West as one of the major spiritual
figures of the 20th century. His extraordinary musical repertoire
was based on the music he heard during his journeys in Armenia,
the Caucasus, the Middle East and many parts of Central Asia, India
and North Africa, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual
music, rituals and dance traditions. Levon Eskenian has chosen and
arranged those pieces that have roots in Armenian, Greek, Arabic,
Kurdish, Assyrian, and Caucasian folk and spiritual music for Eastern
folk instruments.
The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble was founded in 2008 by
the Armenian musician Levon Eskenian with the aim of creating
ethnographically authentic arrangements of the G.I. Gurdjieff/Thomas
de Hartmann piano music. The ensemble consists of leading Eastern
folk instrumentalists in Armenia playing duduk, blul/nay, saz,
tar, kiamancha, oud, kanon, santur, dap/daf, tombak and dhol. Its
repertoire mainly consists of G.I.Gurdjieff's original compositions,
as well as some works by ashoughs' (troubadours), traditional and
spiritual Armenian pieces chosen to further illustrate Gurdjieff's
musical influences. Organized by Naregatsi Art Institute, the ensemble
had its first concerts in Gyumri, Armenia-Gurdjieff's birthplace.
Gurdjieff is known to many in the West as one of the major spiritual
figures of the 20th century. His extraordinary musical repertoire
was based on the music he heard during his journeys in Armenia,
the Caucasus, the Middle East and many parts of Central Asia, India
and North Africa, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual
music, rituals and dance traditions. This music consists of some 300
pieces and fragments for the piano, composed in the 1920's in the
manner of dictation from Gurdjieff to his pupil, Thomas de Hartmann,
the Russian composer and pianist.
It is important to note that Eastern musical traditions are strongly
characterized by their own unique instruments and instrumental
combinations and these indigenous Eastern instruments are capable of
producing microtonal intervals, rhythms and other nuances that are
essential parts of Eastern music. Naturally, most of the instrumental
music that Gurdjieff heard during his travels was performed on Eastern
folk instruments.
It is noteworthy to mention that he also amassed a collection of
Eastern instruments (which resided at the Chateau du Prieure at
Fontainebleau) that he had intended to use for authentic performances
of folk music and dances.
Through rigorous study of the instrumentation and performance practices
of the musical traditions of each ethnic group, Levon Eskenian has
chosen and arranged those pieces that have roots in Armenian, Greek,
Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, and Caucasian folk and spiritual music for
Eastern folk instruments. From an ethno-musicological perspective,
these pieces are a valuable source of information on Eastern ritual,
folk, and sacred music from an era before audio recordings.
We have learned from de Hartmann's notes that Gurdjieff gave much
importance to the perception of Eastern music and how it was played on
authentic Eastern folk instruments. In 1919, Gurdjieff sent de Hartmann
and his wife to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where de Hartmann
gave concerts of European music and of works by Armenian composer
Komitas (The pillar of Armenian classical music,ethnomusicologist
and decipherer of khaz-the Armenian music notation system). As
de Hartmann describes, "Mount Ararat was wrapped in a shroud of
mist-an unforgettable sight. To accompany this vision there was
authentic Eastern music played on...the tar - a kind of stringed
instrument. Through this trip to Erivan.... Gurdjieff gave us the
opportunity of listening to Eastern music and musicians, so that I
could better understand how he wished his own music to be written
and interpreted."