THE GURDJIEFF ENSEMBLE

George Gurdjieff was, among other things, a mystic, composer and philosopher who was a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia. GURDJIEFF ENSEMBLE are named after George but they were formed by Levon Eskenian to preserve and play “ethnographically authentic” arrangements of George Gurdjieff and Thomas de Hartman’s piano music. Their repertoire has subsequently expanded to include music of the Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Assyrian, Kurdish, Persian and Caucasian traditions.

Artistic director and arranger Eskenian introduces the concept and conducts the ensemble through the opening piece before leaving the stage to the musicians. Vladimir Papikyan provides vocals that are equal parts a muezzin’s call to prayer, Gregorian chant and an Eastern Orthodox priest’s invocations, along with santur (hammered dulcimer), burvur (censer with bells) and percussion. Norayr Gapoyan plays the double reed instruments duduk and zurna along with the single reed pku. Gaga Hakobayan performs on bass duduk and pku, Armen Ayvazyan is on the fiddle-like kamancha. Adam Nikoghosyan plays oud (lute) and bells, Meri Vardanyan plucks the kanon (zither), Davit Avagyan is on tar (lute) and Mesrop Khalatyan plays dap (frame drum) and tmbuk (double-headed bass drum). 

The ensemble treat the material with reverence and the majority of the performance is rather sombre. That is not to say that it is all dark. The playing is exquisite, the performers exchange smiles as they perform and the closing selection of traditional Armenian dance tunes is so joyous that I have restrain myself from stomping my feet and clapping along. 

This is the first performance I have seen in the Church of St Peter Mancroft and it is a superb venue for (non-amplified) performances such as this. Although there is silence between the first and second pieces, the audience becomes increasingly enthusiastic in its applause as the set develops. 

All in all, an enthralling performance of music from traditions that I am not particularly familiar with, performed on instruments that I have seen rarely (if ever) in a building that I frequently walk past but have seldom ventured into.