Festival Glasperlenspiel
July 10th at 7 pm
St. John’s church (Jaani Street 5, Tartu)
GURDJIEFF’S MYSTICAL WORLD
Gurdjieff Ensemble (Armenia), artistic director Levon Eskenian
Program: George Gurdjieff, hymns, Armenian sacred music
The internationally acclaimed Gurdjieff Ensemble consists of leading musicians from Armenia. The Ensemble was founded by Levon Eskenian to play ‘ethnographically authentic’ arrangements of the George Gurdjieff / Thomas de Hartmann music, then diversely expanding the repertoire that now includes music by Komitas, music from the Middle East, as well as ancient and medieval Armenian folk and spiritual music and troubadours’ songs from the Caucasus. Their albums “Music of Georges I. Gurdjieff”, “Komitas” and „Zartir“ on the famous ECM records were widely acclaimed and won prestigious awards including the Edison Award. The ensemble has been touring in 150 cities in 26 countries in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, North and South America. The 10-member ensemble plays Armenian and Middle Eastern instruments such as duduk, zurna, pku, blul, ud, kamancha, kanon, santur, tar, saz, dap, dhol, and tmbuk.
Born at the end of the 19th century, George Gurdjieff, of Greek-Armenian roots, is known as a mystic, guru, philosopher, musician… Traveling in search of truth in many countries, he created his approach to “the Harmonious Development of Man”. His extraordinary ouvre was based on the music he heard while traveling in Armenia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, and North Africa, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual music, rituals, and dance traditions. Gurdjieff’s music consists of 300 pieces and fragments he composed in the 1920s by dictating them orally to his student, the composer and pianist Thomas de Hartmann.
Organizers:
Peeter Vähi – artistic director
Tiina Jokinen – executive director
Kadri Kiis – producer, accountant
Meeta Vardja – musicologist, editor of festival booklet
Mart Kivisild – design
Olavi Sööt – co-producer, video, logistics
Reno Hekkonens – marketing director, PR
Johannes Vähi – co-producer, webmaster, sound engineering, logistics
Rebeca Birk – social media
Special thanks: Tartu City Government, Urmas Klaas, Triin Käpp, Jana Raud, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Canon and Overall, St John’s church, Kaupo Kiis, Kristel Leppik, volunteers
Next Glasperlenspiel: July 8th – 13th, 2027
