Wednesday’s Artist: Djivan Gasparyan The Armenian Maestro of Duduk
This Wednesday’s artist is Djivan Gasparian, he is one of the most famous Armenian musicians. He is known for his duduk playing and compositions for this folklore instrument.
Every Wednesday of the week, Tunitemusic introduces a new artist and their works. These artists have been chosen regardless of their musical genre.
Duduk is an ancient double-reed woodwind instrument from the middle east, it is made from apricot wood and probably is an ancestor to the orchestral Oboe.
Djivan Gasparian has born on October 12th, 1928. He started playing Duduk at the age of six. In 1948, he became a soloist of the Armenian Song and Dance Popular Ensemble and the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra. He has won four medals at UNESCO worldwide competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973 Gasparyan was awarded the honorary title People's Artist of Armenia.[7] In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gasparian has shown the tones and the colors of Duduk to the world. He has worked with a lot of musicians and played Duduk in many albums from various genres, From Peter Gabriel and Hans Zimmer to local Folk albums.
The ancient exotic and middle eastern sound of Hollywood is the Duduk, and Djivan Gasparian has made an important rule in making that cliche, by playing Duduke at some of the Hollywood movies like the Gladiator.
Discography:
1983: Duduk. Armenian folk songs ( Melody)
1993: Moon Shines at Night
1994: Ask Me No Questions
1996: Apricots From Eden
1998: Salute
1998: Black Rock, with Michael Brook
1998: Djivan Gasparyan Quartet - Nazeli
1999: Heavenly Duduk
2000: Armenian Fantasies
2001: Nazani
2001: Fuad, with Erkan Ogur (Traditional Turkish & Armenian songs)
2002: In My World, I Have No Pain
2005: Endless Vision: Persian And Armenian Songs, with Hossein Alizadeh
2007: Nectar for the Bitter World
2008: The Soul of Armenia
2008: Penumbra, with Michael Brook
Collaborations as a guest artist
Dead Bees On A Cake, David Sylvian; (Gasparyan appears on the track 'Darkest Dreaming')
Cosmopoly, as a guest of Andreas Vollenweider (EDEL Records, SLG Records (USA/Canada)
1998: Naked Spirit, special guest of Sainkho
1999: Eden Roc, Ludovico Einaudi, (Gasparyan appears on 3 tracks)
2000: Free Fall, Jesse Cook (Narada) (Gasparyan appears on the track "Incantation")
2006: Blood of the Snake, Derek Sherinian (Gasparyan appears on the track "Prelude To Battle")
2006: RockPaperScissors, Michael Brook (Gasparyan appears on track "Pasadena part two")
2006: Pangea with Lian Ensemble (Houman Pourmehdi & Piraye Pourafar), Swapan Chaudhuri and Miroslav Tadić
Selection of film soundtrack contributions
1994: The Crow, soundtrack
1998: The Siege, soundtrack
1998: Ronin, soundtrack
2000: Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture, soundtrack
2005: Syriana, soundtrack
2006: Blood Diamond, soundtrack
2011: Samsara, soundtrack (as Dijan Gasparyan)
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