Robin Denselow, The Guardian

Nun geht das Münchner Label ECM, bei dem schon Keith Jarretts „Sacred Hymns“ (1980) und „Chants, Hymns and Dances“ (2004) mit dem griechischen Pianisten Vassilis Tsabropoulos und der Cellistin Anja Lechner erschienen waren, einen Schritt weiter, indem es 17 Gurdjieff-Kompositionen in wechselnden Besetzungen auf authentischen Instrumenten facettenreicher und in größerer Opulenz veröffentlicht. So wird die bis dato pianozentrierte Rezeption dieser Musik in der westlichen Welt zu ihren Wurzeln zurückgeführt. […] 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

Georges Gurdjieff composed and dictated volumes of piano music. Levon Eskenian’s Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble reclaims these pieces from the salons of Paris and takes them back to their roots in the Caucasus. […] they reveal their origins and themselves.

David Honigmann, Financial Times

The combination of instrumental voices, and the otherness of the voices themselves creates deep, mysterious yet marvellously relaxing soundscapes to sit awhile in.

Phil Johnson,The Independent

Allein wegen der zum Einsatz kommenden Instrumente möchte man der Aufnahme ein Echtheitszertifikat ausstellen.

Guido Fischer, Jazzthetik

Gurdjieff’s music was explored by Jarrett on his 1979 ECM album “Sacred Hymns” (which is worth revisiting). Here, though, it is rescued from classicism by Levon Eskenian, who has assembled some of the best Armenian traditional musicians into a flexible ensemble that delivers Gurdjieff’s music, if we choose to attribute it so, in small-scale arrangements at a time. The oud, central to “Chant From A Holy Book” and the three Sayyid chants, is now, partly thanks to ECM, the most familiar of these instruments, though all have some kinship with vernacular or classical instruments in the West: flutes, harps or zithers, reeds. The effect is strong and strange, and unexpectedly its very physicality and peasant alertness restore something of Gurdjieff’s muscular spirituality. Simply but immaculately recorded, it’s a beautiful set.

Brian Morton, The Wire

Eine wahre Weltmusik kommt hier zum Klingen, in der Elemente von griechischen, arabischen und assyrischen bis zu kurdischen und kaukasischen Tänzen als heilige Weisen mitschwingen.

Klangraum

The result is magical. The traditional instruments reproduce this deeply rooted music in a way that a western tuned piano never could – not only the microtonal intervals that are an inherent part of this music but the sonic qualities unique to each instrument. The soft, sad sound of the three duduks on the opening track “Chanft From A Holy Book” place you right into the heart of Armenia, while the kamancha, tar, santur, kanon, oud and saz on the “Caucasian Dance” and “Atarnakh, Kurd Song” replant these folk melodies and spiritual chants into the soil out of which they came.

Sofi Mogensen, Properganda

Das Besondere an diesem Album aber hier ist nun die spezielle Behandlung, die musikalische Umsetzung, die sich an die Tradition des Ostens hält, eben so, wie es der Meister auch gemeint hat. Es ist Musik, die stark von bestimmten Instrumenten geprägt und mit deren Ursprungsland verknüpft ist. Führende Musiker der armenischen Volksmusik sind hier vertreten, die Kompositionen mit armenischen, griechischen, arabischen, kurdischen, assyrischen und kaukasischen Einflüssen adäquat zum Klingen bringen.

Südwind

Simon Broughton from Songlines calls the recording a “fabulous collection of Armenian and Middle Eastern folk music with a fascinating story behind it”. Furthermore he writes: “The tunes were composed by Georges Gurdjieff, best known as a mystic philosopher and author of Meetings with Remarkables Men, turned into a film by Peter Brook. But Gurdjieff was also a composer who dictated his music to his pupil Thomas de Hartmann (presumably because he was unable to notate it himself). Gurdjieff was born in Armenia, but travelled widely in the Middle East and became faxcinated with the traditional music he heard. In 1920 he was in Istanbul, living close to the Mevlevi meeting place in Galata and `Sayyid Chant and Dance No 29´ on this disc is very reminiscent of the Whirling Dervish music he would have heard there. So this CD is a something like what Muzsiás did on their Bartók Album, using his compositions to recreate the sort of music he would have heard and collected. It´s been arranged by Levon Eskenian for his Yerevan-based group called The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble including plaintive duduks (Armenian oboes), oud (lute), tar (lute), kamancheh (fiddle), kanun (zither), blul (flute) and tombak (drum). A lot of the music comes from Gurdjieff´s native Armenia, notably the opening `Chant from a Holy Book´, a plangent, spiritual duduk tune and a gorgeous Armenian song. Another track named `Assyrian Women Mourners´ is arranged for four duduks and frame drum, confirming what Djivan Gasparyan once told me about duduks being used for funerals in Armenia. Two of the most delightful tracks are enigmatically called `No.11´ and `No.40, arrangements from a collection called `Asian Songs & Rhythms´, and have a spontaneous, improvisatory quality, while `Caucasian Dance´ has all the verve of the mountain music of Georgia and Armenia. A remarkable work.”

Simon Broughton, Songlines

“Faszinierend anzuhören ist die nun dokumentierte Rückführung dieser für den Konzertsalon `veredelten´ Volksweisen in den ursprünglichen Kontext durch den Komponisten Levon Eskelian, der die ergreifenden Melodien mit Akribie, Einfühlungsvermögen und Sachkenntnis für sein 14-köpfiges Folkensemble restaurierte: Back to the roots!”

Jürg Sommer, Aargauer Zeitung

Hats off to the ECM label. They’ve had a long-standing interest in Gurdjieff, having released that Jarrett album back in 1980. ECM became aware of this 2008 recording from the Armenian capital Yerevan and remastered it for the release this year. You can hear the album as a musical document of Gurdjieff’s many travels. It is also an alluring and often moving window into the world of a remarkable man who sought a better understanding of life through a combination of ancient religions, self-awareness and expecially music.

Tom Huizenga, NPR music

Mentre però al pianoforte le musiche di Gurdjieff sono l’apoteosi di un’iterazione estatica e di un esotismo assai posticci, qui accade una sorta di miracolo. Un breve, Levon Eskenian ha riunito un ensemble di eccellenti musicisti armeni e ha arrangiato – o meglio dis-arrangiato – una manciata di melodie di Gurdjieff riportandole nel loro alveo musicale originario e immaginario insieme. Semplice, perfetta, fittizia in quanto mai esistita in quella veste nella mente e nell’esperienza di Gurdjieff, ma solo in quella di Eskenian e dei suoi partner, questa musica emana un fascino straordinario. Forse proprio perché è finta, cioè reinventata, come tutta la grande arte.

Giordano Montecchi, L’Unita

This CD by the Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble, under their director Levon Eskenian, consists of arrangements of Gurdjieff’s compositions for traditional Armenian instruments. The duduk permeates everything with its mournful grace, with the oud and zar lute, the kanun zither, and the daf frame drum adding their evocative sound. We get religious chants and dances from Georgia, Greece, and Arabia, plus a beautiful Assyrian mourners’ song.

Michael Church, BBC Music Magazine

SILLONNER LE CAUCASE MUSIQUE TRADITIONNELLE Duduk, blul, kamancha, santor et oud… Rien qu’à enten- dre ces noms, on a déjà fait la moitié du voyage: cap sur la musique traditionnelle qui se cueille le long des routes de Grèce et des pays du Caucase. A l’instar de son contem- porain Béla Bartók, Georges Gurdjieff s’était inspiré de ces notes vagabondes dans ses compositions. Levon Eskenian fait aujourd’hui le chemin inverse et replace ces œuvres dans leur contexte d’ori- gine. La douzaine de musiciens qu’il rassemble autour de ce projet ne manquent pas d’affinités avec ces mélodies aux titres évocateurs. Ancienne danse grecque,Mélodie du berger kurde, Chant du Sayyid… et l’âme s’évad.

LA LIBERTÉ

Լ. Իսկենյանի աշխատանքն արժանի է գովեստի ամենաբարձր խոսքերի: Նրա օգնությամբ կարծես փակվեց մի շրջան` տեղ տալով զարգացման նոր ալիքի: Բխելով տարբեր ազգերի անանուն, անհայտ տեղեկություններից, բանավոր կերպով փոխանցվելով Գյուրջիեւին` այդ եղանակները հիշողությամբ նոտագրվեցին երրորդ անձի` դը Հարթմանի կողմից, որպեսզի գրեթե մեկ դար հետո վերագործիքավորվեն` հնարավորինս մոտենալով բնօրինակին:Լեւոն Իսկենյանը հիրավի հսկայական աշխատանք է կատարել: Կրթությամբ դաշնակահար` նա ուսումնասիրել է ժողովրդական գործիքները, դրանց կատարողական տեխնիկան, դրանց տարբեր համակցությունների գործածությունը, այնուհետեւ` ժողովրդական երաժշտության ոճերը: Նա համագործակցել է Հայաստանի լավագույն երիտասարդ կատարողների հետ եւ նրանց տեւական ու քրտնաջան աշխատանքի շնորհիվ պատրաստվել է մի ամբողջ համերգային ծրագիր:…Հարկ է հատկապես նշել կատարողների բարձր պրոֆեսիոնալիզմը: Նրանց առջեւ դրված էին անսովոր խնդիրներ, որոնց հետ ժողգործիք նվագողները հազվադեպ են առնչվում:….Սակայն փոխարենը ձեռք էր բերվել յուրաքանչյուր հնչյունը կամ ֆրազը «լսելու», վայելելու, գուրգուրելու հատկությունը, որը, ցավոք, այնքա՜ն հազվագյուտ երեւույթ է մեր օրերում` նույնիսկ դասական երաժշտության կատարողների մոտ, եւ որը երաժշտական կատարման բուն իմաստն է, դրա հոգին:

ԱՐԹՈՒՐ ԱՎԱՆԵՍՈՎ,ԱԶԳ ՕՐԱԹԵՐԹ

The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble, directed by Levon Eskenian, delivers charming transcriptions of some of the many  piano pieces written by the great humanist philosopher, Georges Gurdjieff.Played on such exotic instruments as the duduk, santur, saz and oud, a cultural enrichment takes place, drawing on new resonances that a mere keyboard can only hint at.

A wistful Armenian Song is a hesitation waltz that would fit perfectly on a soundtrack for the Armenian movie that Fellini never made.

William Dart,The New Zealand Herald

A prominent Armenian musician is shedding lovely new light on music hitherto heard on the piano. It is much more eloquently rendered by Levon Eskenian’s Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble.

Doug Spencer,ABC Radio National,The Weekend Planet

De muziek van de Armeense goeroe Gurdjieff (1866-1949) is vooral bekend geworden door de transcripties voor piano, gemaakt door zijn leerling Thomas de Hartmann. Met het speciaal voor dit project opgerichte Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble laat Levon Eskenian Gurdjieffs composities terugkeren naar hun vaderland in de Kaukasus.Je zou denken dat al die variatie afbreuk doet aan de verstilling die zo kenmerkend is voor Gurdjieffs muziek, maar niets is minder waar.

Ademt Rust,Volkskrant

Mystic Music:

As a young man, Georges I. Gurdjieff traveled widely in Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa, studying with mystics and holy men from Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist traditions. The music of this Armenian writer and spiritual leader is imbued with the sounds he heard in monasteries and other sacred places. In this spellbinding collection, Music of Georges I. Gurdjieff (ECM), Gurdjieff’s compositions are rendered on traditional Middle Eastern and Central Asian instruments by an accomplished ensemble.

The Christian Science Monitor

The significance lies precisely in its re-invention of what we understand this music to be. Returning this music to its roots required considerable ingenuity in terms of both arrangement and appropriate instrumental interpretation. Mr. Eskenian and his artists with a doubt labored long and hard to produce a well-crafted work of integrity and value, yet they manage to make the result sound relaxed, informal, and effortless.

Lee Van Laer,Zen,Yoga,Gurdjieff-Perspectives on inner work

For one, there is just the pure enjoyment of hearing many of these ancient, soothing hymns, chants, and songs played as they were meant to be played. There is a “world music” element to this, but not in the pretentious manner that term often connotes. Rather, the pieces are heard in a much more organic way….the music recorded by the Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble is fascinating, and a great introduction to one of the true Renaissance men of the early twentieth century.

Greg Babrick,B C  Music