Gurdjieff Ensemble

Gurdjieff Ensemble play and preserve music from a variety of ancient folk traditions: Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Assyrian, Kurdish, Persian and Caucasian. Their haunting, mysterious and atmospheric performances reflect a clear contemporary vitality, one foot firmly planted in the here and now, and resonances echoing through past, present and future.

The Ensemble was founded by Levon Eskenian to play ‘ethnographically authentic’ arrangements of the G. I. Gurdjieff/Thomas de Hartmann piano music. Their repertoire expanded to include music from the Middle East; medieval Armenian folk and spiritual music; troubadour’s songs from the Caucasus and works by contemporary composers. Their debut album, Music of Georges.I. Gurdjieff was widely acclaimed and since then the Ensemble has played in 150 cities in 30 countries across the world.

‘Delicate, haunting and atmospheric selection of instrumental pieces… they range from drifting, mesmeric arrangements for the duduk Armenian woodwind to subtle, sparse passages, or more sturdy dance pieces played on the zither-like kanon, the oud or the santur dulcimer. An intriguing, often gently exquisite set.’ The Guardian