Komitas: Seven Songs Lusine Grigoryan

• Vertapet Komitas (1869-1935):
• 1 Seven Songs: 1. Semplice 01:26
• 2 Seven Songs: 2. Dolente 01:25
• 3 Seven Songs: 3. Allegro non troppo 01:22
• 4 Seven Songs: 4. Allegretto semplice, non troppo 00:58
• 5 Seven Songs: 5. Comodo 01:34
• 6 Seven Songs: 6. Nobile 01:21
• 7 Seven Songs: 7. Allegrezza energico 00:35
• 8 Msho Shoror 10:09
• 9 Seven Dances: 1. Manushaki 02:55
• 10 Seven Dances: 2. Yerangi 03:29
• 11 Seven Dances: 3. Unabi 01:52
• 12 Seven Dances: 4. Marali 01:32
• 13 Seven Dances: 5. Shushiki 01:41
• 14 Seven Dances: 6. Het u Araj 03:00
• 15 Seven Dances: 7. Shoror 04:45
• 16 Pieces For Children: 1. Allegretto amabile 00:26
• 17 Pieces For Children: 2. Allegretto amabile 00:30
• 18 Pieces For Children: 3. Vivo 00:27
• 19 Pieces For Children: 4. Allegro Moderato 00:54
• 20 Pieces For Children: 5. Andantino 01:09
• 21 Pieces For Children: 6. Lento 01:08
• 22 Pieces For Children: 7. Vivace 00:43
• 23 Pieces For Children: 8. Moderato con giubilo 01:19
• 24 Pieces For Children: 9. Con Alterazza 00:38
• 25 Pieces For Children: 10. Calmo 00:39
• 26 Pieces For Children: 11. Moderato 01:03
• 27 Pieces For Children: 12. Andantino con tenerezza 01:35
• 28 Toghik 00:49
• Total Runtime 49:24

Info for Komitas: Seven Songs

Complete in itself, this solo album by Armenian pianist Lusine Grigoryan, can also be considered a companion volume to the Gurdjieff Ensemble's critically-acclaimed album of Komitas's music.

It was recorded at the same 2015 session in Lugano, directed by Manfred Eicher, and has some overlapping of repertoire. Where Levon Eskenian's versions with the Gurdjieff Ensemble explored some of the composer's sonic inspirations with folk instruments, Lusine Grigoryan conveys some of the same colours with her wide palette of piano articulation and her exploration of timbral possibilities: in her playing one can catch the flavour of the duduk, the tar, the zurna et cetera, as Komitas intended. As Levon Eskenian has noted, Grigoryan "conveys the mysterious presence typical of rustic and ritual music."

Pieces heard on this recording, the ECM debut of Lusine Grigoryan, include Komitas's Seven Songs, Seven Dances, Pieces for Children, and Msho Shoror.

Lusine Grigoryan, piano

Lusine Grigoryan
One of Armenia's pre-eminent pianists, Lusine Grigoryan, born in Gyumri, studied at the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory under the direction of Professor Robert Shugarov.

Grigoryan's solo concerts, performed on stages throughout Europe, America, the Middle East and Australia, have generated critical acclaim. As a soloist she has performed at many prestigious festivals and concert halls, such as the Holland Festival in Amsterdam, Bozar in Belgium, the Nostalgia Festival in Poland, the Canberra International Music Festival in Australia and others.

International media are repeatedly touched by her performances.

"Her subtle pedaling, sparkling trills, and delicate touch throughout the works held the audience in thrall."

"She has the ability to display the composer's musical language and bring the important lines to the foreground; her performances are expressed by a permanent peace without unnecessary colors and emotions."

Grigoryan's unique interpretations of classical music, conveyed through a repertoire ranging from early Baroque to Contemporary, are complemented by an equally vast awareness of folk music traditions, which grants her insights into the works of classical composers whose pieces were informed by folk traditions. Thoroughly researching the works of Komitas and Bela Bartók also from this perspective. Her interpretation of Komitas' works has been praised both for its originality and its faithfulness to the composer’s vision.

Booklet for Komitas: Seven Songs