Luys i Luso

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Luys i Luso
Studio album by
Tigran Hamasyan
ReleasedSeptember 4, 2015[1]
2 October 2015 (US)[2][3]
RecordedOctober 2014[1]
GenreArmenian sacred music, Armenian folk and other styles[4][5]
Length1:16:04
LabelECM[4]
ProducerManfred Eicher[1]
Tigran Hamasyan chronology
Mockroot
(2015) 		Luys i Luso
(2015) 		An Ancient Observer
(2017)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Cutting Edge [nl][6]
Gaffa[7]
The Guardian[4]
The Irish Times[8]
PopMatters[9]
RTÉ[10]
Télérama[11]

Luys i Luso (Armenian: լույս ի լուսո, "Light from the Light") is the seventh album by Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan. It was released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.[4][12]

Production[edit]

The album is arranged for piano and voices, and features the Yerevan State Chamber Choir with conductor Harutyun Topikyan.[1][2][13][14][15] Tigran Hamasyan is a pianist and played the piano in the recording for the album.[16][1][4] Unlike Hamasyan's previous albums, the music is more heavily inspired by the Armenian folk style and draws from Armenian sacred music.[4][5][9] The tracks on the album are varied and include developments of fifth-century sharakans to modern-day hymns.[4][15][5] The album was recorded in October 2014 and produced by the founder of ECM Records, Manfred Eicher.[1]

Hamasyan later said in an interview that God had intervened in the recording of the album:[16]

It was the last day of recording, and we had to record this very serious piece called New Flower [Nor Tsaghik]. It's a long, complicated piece, and as soon as we started recording, all the lights went off. Right around the corner there was an old, 17th-century church, and while we waited for the power to come back, the whole choir walked there, and some of the girls sang in the church. It was a spiritual moment. It was God saying that if you're recording sacred music for four days, you've got to visit a church at least once. After that, everybody was different. It had a big impact on us.

Release[edit]

Luys i Luso was released on 4 September and 2 October 2015 in the United States.[1][2][4][17][18]

Performance[edit]

As part of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the work was performed in 100 churches around the world.[4][12] Hamasyan had also performed the work at churches located in Armenia and surrounding countries before the release of the work, however, he refused performing in Turkey.[19][16] He said that this was because he could not "... go somewhere where people killed my great-grandfather and his sisters ... [and] play in front of a crowd that still denies that they killed my family". However, when asked to perform this work in towns that used to be in Armenia but are now in Turkey, he went there to perform. Although Hamasyan was encouraged by his Turkish fans to perform in Turkey, there was opposition from others.[16] This included the mayor of Kars, Murtaza Karaçanta, who had made racist remarks about Hamasyan and the other performers,[16][20] and right-wing Turkish groups, such as Grey Wolves, who had made threats against the performers.[16][21] Because of these threats the performers were given a police escort whilst in Turkey.[16]

Art project[edit]

An art project, also called Luys i Luso, was commissioned by Hamasyan which explores and documents the creation and performance of the album. The finished art installation used large digital screens and the music from the album in a 35-minute exhibition which explores the album's creation, performance, and the tour of the 100 churches around the world.[22] The installation was displayed in Depo (an art gallery in Istanbul) over six days.[22][23][24] It was later hosted by The Armenian General Benevolent Union, BRIC Arts Media, and SKLAD in Plovdiv.[25][26][27] The installation was also shown in Little Armenia, Los Angeles, accompanied by a live performance by Hamasyan.[28]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written or arranged from a tune by Tigran Hamasyan. English translations from Between Sound and Space, unless otherwise noted:[2]

No.TitleLength
1."Ov Zarmanali" (English: O Amazing Mystery.[29] - Grigor III Pahlavuni)1:26
2."Ankanim Araji Qo" (English: I Kneel Before You - Mesrop Mashtots)5:09
3."Ov Zarmanali (Var. 1)"13:10
4."Hayrapetakan Maghterg" (English: Patriarchal Ode - Komitas)3:52
5."Bazum En Qo Gtutyunqd" (English: Your Mercy Is Boundless - Mesrop Mashtots[30])6:43
6."Nor Tsaghik" (English: New Flower - Nerses Shnorhali)7:38
7."Hayrapetakan Maghterg (Var. 1)"1:45
8."Hayrapetakan Maghterg (Var. 2)"4:26
9."Havoun Havoun" (English: The Bird, The Bird was Awake - Grigor Narekatsi)4:35
10."Voghormea Indz Astvats" (English: God, Have Mercy upon Me - Mesrop Mashtots[29][31])9:34
11."Sirt Im Sasani" (English: My Heart is Trembling! - Mkhitar Ayrivanetsi)3:46
12."Surb Astvats" (English: Holy God - Komitas)5:46
13."Sirt Im Sasani (Var. 1)"4:04
14."Orhnyal E Astvats" (English: Blessed is God - Komitas)4:10
Total length:76:04

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "ECM Records". ECM Records. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Grillo, Tyran (February 9, 2016). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso (ECM 2447)". Between Sound and Space. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Flynn, Mike (August 12, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan explores Armenian sacred music on ECM debut album and UK dates". Jazzwise. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Molleson, Kate (October 8, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso review – lyrical folk meditation". The Guardian. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Tigran Hamasyan - Luys i Luso". The Journal of Music. July 26, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Tigran Hamasyan, 'Luys i Luso'". Cutting Edge. November 1, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso". Gaffa. January 6, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Larkin, Cormac (September 25, 2015). "Tigran Hamasayan: Luys I Luso | Album Review". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Paul, John (November 12, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso". PopMatters. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Kehoe, Paddy (October 6, 2015). "Hamasyan, Yerevan Choir Luys i Luso". RTÉ. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Berthod, Anne (September 8, 2017). "Luys i Luso, Tigran Hamasyan - Albums". Télérama. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Mkatichian, Emily (October 20, 2015). "Capturing Light: Documenting Tigran Hamasyan's Luys i Luso Tour". Asbarez. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "CD REVIEW: Tigran Hamasyan and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir Luys i Luso". October 8, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Luys i Luso Project". yerevanchamberchoir.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Tigran Hamasyan / Yerevan State Chamber Choir, Luys i Luso, ECM". www.marlbank.net. September 3, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Larkin, Cormac (October 15, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan coaxes sacred sounds from the Armenian darkness". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  17. ^ Adams, Rob (November 1, 2015). "CD review: Tigran Hamasyan, Luys i Luso (ECM)". HeraldScotland. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  18. ^ Nagel, Steve (October 22, 2015). "'Luys i Luso': Jazz Pianist Tigran Hamasyan's Armenian Hymns [REVIEW]". Classicalite. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  19. ^ "Armenian pianist performs at Ani ruins". Hürriyet Daily News. June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Tigran Hamasyan's concert in Ani infuriates Turkish nationalist mayor". Artsakh Press. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. ^ Stevenson, Tom (June 1, 2016). "ANALYSIS: The growing strength of Turkey's ultra-nationalists". Middle East Eye. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Luys i Luso: A Cinematic Journey through Armenian Music". Depo Istanbul.
  23. ^ "Luys i Luso: A Cinematic Journey through Armenian Music". www.cornucopia.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  24. ^ ""Luys i Luso" Multimedia Art Project with Tigran Hamasyan". March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  25. ^ "Tickets Selling Out Fast for Tigran Hamasyan's Luys i Luso Multimedia Installation and Concert". AGBU. April 26, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  26. ^ Mkrtichian, Emily. "Luys i Luso". Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  27. ^ "Luys i Luso". Plovdiv 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  28. ^ "Luys I Luso Installation to Premiere in Little Armenia District of Los Angeles". Asbarez. April 18, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  29. ^ a b "Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti". Teatro Comunale Modena. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  30. ^ Huizenga, Tom (October 9, 2015). "Songs We Love: Tigran Hamasyan, 'Your Mercy is Boundless'". NPR. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  31. ^ "Voghormea indz Astvats (God, Have Mercy upon Me)". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
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