Winds of Passion
Landmark Recording of Komitas’ Divine Liturgy Features a Quartet of Duduks
Glendale, California – A new recording of Komitas Vardapet’s Divine Liturgy has been released this month by the Los Angeles-based Armenian Arts organization. The compact disc was officially introduced to the public during a ceremony on January 15, 2006, at the Glendale Public Library.
The recording is unprecedented in the history of Armenian music as it features an entirely instrumental rendition of the Liturgy, performed by the duduk quartet Winds of Passion.
Stepan Partamian, who conceived and produced the project, commented on the rationale behind the recording. “The vast repertoire of Armenian sacred music, and Komitas Vardapet’s Divine Liturgy in particular, represents some of the highest compositional achievements of the Armenian people,” he said; “yet Armenian church music has never integrated instrumentation using indigenous instruments. I believe this recording reflects a fresh model for performing Armenian spiritual music, through the use of a genuinely and recognizably Armenian instrument, namely the duduk.”
Acknowledged as the most emotional of Armenian instruments, the duduk stands apart for having a timbre that comes closest to the human voice. This fact, according to the Winds of Passion Quartet, was a major reason the group took on the challenge of recording the Liturgy. A statement from the quartet reads: “Given its complex melodic structure, emotional range, immediacy, and compositional wholeness, Komitas Vardapet’s Divine Liturgy is the finest example of Armenian spiritual music.”
The Winds of Passion Quartet, comprising some of the most accomplished duduk players in the world today, has garnered both popular and critical acclaim through its concerts and a string of recordings.
Winds of Passion’s “Divine Liturgy” was made possible through a grant from the Armenian Arts Fund, which supports the Armenian Arts organization for realizing far-reaching cultural projects. Founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, the Armenian Arts Organization seeks to promote extraordinary Armenian talent in the visual and musical arts. To date the organization has produced a number of high-profile events, including concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Ford Ampitheater; publishes the “Armenian Arts” magazine; and produces the acclaimed and controversial “Bari Luys” and “Tser Kartsike” call-in shows on local television and the Internet.
From Left: Producer Stepan Partamian, Vardan Harutyunyan (duduk), Ruben Harutynyan (duduk), Grigor Harutyunyan (duduk), Gevorg Karapetian (Bass duduk) & Conductor Komitas Keshishian
It is believed that no other musical instrument is able to convey the emotions of the Armenian people so honestly and eloquently as the duduk, for it is purely Armenian, born in the early eons of Armenian history. Because of its evocative and colorful timbre and warm sound, the duduk has become part of everyday life in Armenia. Today, no festive occasion, wedding reception or family feast is complete without a dudukist.
The duduk is a cylindrical wooden flute with a 1,500-year history behind it. A form of oboe hand-made almost always of apricot wood, the duduk is strictly Armenian. Traveling Armenians have taken it to Persia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the Middle East and as far as the Balkans, where derivatives are played. The instrument itself is simply a hollow pipe with eight finger holes on the upper side and one thumb hole on the bottom. It has a warm, soft, slightly nasal timbre, but it is capable of wide-range melodies and drone notes sustained for long periods of time. It is invariably played with the accompaniment of a second ‘dum duduk,’ which gives the music an energy and tonic atmosphere, changing the scale harmoniously with the principal duduk.
The duduk is built in three sizes, ranging from 11 to 16 inches. It requires a specific type of double reed, categorized as a split or slit-tube reed. As a musical instrument it has not changed through the centuries, but the manner of playing it has been perfected and its sound has been improved. Its range is only one octave; however, it requires considerable skill to play, its dynamics controlled by constantly adjusting the lips and fingers. The tuning is basically untempered and diatonic, though chromatic notes may be obtained by partially covering the finger holes.
The duduk repertoire consists of folk ballads as well as upbeat dance music. Composers have even written orchestral pieces for it. The Duduk Quintet of the Armenian Woodwind Instrument Ensemble is unique in its kind. Its members all hail from state-sponsored orchestras or acclaimed ensembles of popular music in Armenia; as expatriates, they have come together locally in Los Angeles to keep the duduk tradition alive in the Diaspora as well. The band is also singular in featuring a bass duduk a one-of-a-kind instrument which came into being only twenty years ago.
1. Khorhurd Khorhin
2. Havsark
3. Barekhosutyamb
4. Surb Astvats
5. Marmin Terunakan
6. Khristosi Mej
7. Surb Surb
8. Hishva Ter
9. Amen Yev
10. Hayr Mer
11. Ter Voghormya
12. Orhnval
13. Ltsak
14. Amen Yeghitsi
Исполнители:
Vardan Harutyunyan (duduk)
Ruben Harutynyan (duduk)
Grigor Harutyunyan (duduk)
Gevorg Karapetian (Bass duduk)
Вот, наконец-то нашёл исполнителей... кстати, ссылка на альбом тоже имеется, если что
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Originally Posted by Хулигано
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, они стали известными благодаря поддержке американского фонда армянской культуры и искусств, который помог выпустить диски и являлся устроителем концертов в США.
