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 Gasparyan The Armenian Maestro of Duduk

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)

#duduk #djivan_gasparian #armenia #wednesdays_artist