The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble

The Armenian priest, composer and singer Komitas (1869-1935) was a highly gifted and tragic figure. He not only collected thousands of Armenian folk songs but also composed his own music, basing it on traditional Armenian musical styles. He suffered a breakdown after the Armenian genocide in 1915 and ceased to compose, remaining silent until his death twenty years later. Komitas can assuredly be described as the founder of Armenian music. During this concert the Armenian classical pianist Lusine Grigoryan will perform several of Komitas’ works; the Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble will then take up the same musical material and turn it in a completely different direction, back to its vernacular roots.