Heavenly Duduk
Djivan Gasparyan has been the primary ambassador of Armenian music to the world in the '90s, including in his collaboration with Canadian guitaristMichael BrookonBlack Rock. While the fusions are interesting, this album gets back to the deep roots of theduduk, the Armenian wind instrument of which Gasparyan is an acknowledged master. Accompanied only by another droningdudukorzurna(a reed instrument) and thedhol(drum) and occasionally adding vocals, he explores ancient folk songs and dances, songs of troubadours and sacred music of the first Christian millennium. Gasparyan evokes a deep and abiding melancholy, a passion tempered by sadness. Even with the final piece, a wedding suite where his ensemble plays raspyzurnasand drum, the joyous occasion is marked by a contemplative longing that only toward the end breaks into a rousing dance.--Louis Gibson