Gurdjieff Ensemble
Gurdjieff Ensemble
Levon Eskenian – arranger, artistic director/ Emmanuel Hovhannisyan – duduk, zourna, pku/ Avag Margaryan – blul, zourna/ Armen Ayvazyan – kamancha/ Aram Nikoghosyan – oud/ Meri Vardanyan – kanon/ Vladimir Papikyan – santur, voice/ Davit Avagyan – tar, saz/ Mesrop Khalatyan – dap, dhol/ Norayr Gapoyan – duduk/ Eduard Harutyunyan – tmbouk, cymbals, bell
On ECM records
Press
The Guardian
“A haunting and atmospheric selection of instrumental pieces… An intriguing, often gently exquisite set.” – Robin Denselow, The Guardian
New York Times
“The undisputed star of the ensemble, though, is the duduk, a reed instrument with a malleable sound that can be porous and fragile or full-throated and uncannily human-sounding. In his transcriptions Mr. Eskenian uses it for mystical chants” – Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times
Songlines Magazine
“… the results are mesmerisingly beautiful, as different permutations of these instruments create delicately different textures, together with the occasional addition of the human voice.” – Michael Church, Songlines
The Independent On Sunday
“…the ensemble makes sounds that are startingly strange and beautiful… The combination of instrumental voices, and the otherness of the voices themselves creates deep, mysterious yet marvelously relaxing soundscapes…” – Phil Johnson, The Independent On Sunday
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
“Sie präsentieren sich mit berückenden, sehnsuchtsvollen, tief beseelten Klängen, die auf musikalische Rituale des täglichen Lebens zurückgehen, auf Kirchen-, Liebes- und Tanzlieder, Hirtenmelodien und rituelle Musik. Das ist wie eine akustische Brücke über die Jahrhunderte und ein Toleranzprogramm der Weltgegenden.” – Ulrich Steinmetzger, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung
BBC
“The duduk permeates everything with its mournful grace, with the oud and tar lute, the kanun zither, and the daf frame drum adding their evocative sound…” – Michael Church, BBC
Songlines Magazine
“Msho Shoror made up of dances from the monastery of Surb Karapet… These dances were part of the religious ritual and include the sound of a jangling censer and plate jingles that were used by the priests… This is a substantial piece of musical archaeology and resuscitation.” – Simon Broughton, Songlines
ABC
“A prominent Armenian musician is shedding lovely new light on music hitherto heard on the piano…” – Doug Spencer, ABC
Our new album “Zartir” is released on ECM Records
Our new album “Zartir” is now available in CD and limited-edition vinyl formats. You can find the album at your local recording shops, online, streaming platforms or directly on the ECM Records website.
Order the “Zartir” album on ECM Records!
Our upcoming concerts are on the following dates:
July 16, 2024: Yerevan, Armenia
September 19, 2024: Trentino, Italy
November 9, 2024: Warsaw, Poland
December 5, 2024: Rouen, France
December 8, 2024: Berlin, Germany
April 23, 2025: Gent, Belgium
April 25, 2025: Groningen, Netherlands
Mid-May 2025: UK
Program: G.I. Gurdjieff, Sayat-Nova, Baghdasar Dpir, Ashugh Jivani.
Thank you for your continued support. Looking forward to meeting you at our concerts!