Luys i Luso

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]

Luys i Luso
Studio album by
Tigran Hamasyan
Released4 September 2015[1]
2 October 2015 (US)[2][3]
RecordedOctober 2014[1]
GenreArmenian sacred music, Armenian folk and other styles[4][5]
Length76:04
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[6]
Gaffa[7]
The Guardian[4]
The Irish Times[8]
PopMatters[9]
RTÉ[10]
Télérama[11]

Production

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

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

Performance

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

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

All tracks written or arranged from a tune by Tigran Hamasyan. English translations from ECM reviews, unless otherwise noted:[2]

No.TitleLength
1."Ov Zarmanali" (English: O Amazing Mystery.[29] - Komitas)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! - Komitas)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
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References
  1. "ECM Records". ECM Records. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  2. Grillo, Tyran (February 9, 2016). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso (ECM 2447)". ECM Reviews. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  3. Flynn, Mike (12 August 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan explores Armenian sacred music on ECM debut album and UK dates". Jazzwise. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  4. Molleson, Kate (October 8, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso review – lyrical folk meditation". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  5. "Tigran Hamasyan - Luys i Luso". The Journal of Music. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  6. "Tigran Hamasyan, 'Luys i Luso'". Cutting Edge. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  7. "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso". Gaffa. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  8. Larkin, Cormac (25 September 2015). "Tigran Hamasayan: Luys I Luso | Album Review". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. Paul, John (November 12, 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan: Luys i Luso". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  10. Kehoe, Paddy (October 6, 2015). "Hamasyan, Yerevan Choir Luys i Luso". RTÉ. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  11. "Luys i Luso, Tigran Hamasyan - Albums". Télérama. September 8, 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
  12. Mkatichian, Emily (October 20, 2015). "Capturing Light: Documenting Tigran Hamasyan's Luys i Luso Tour". Asbarez. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  13. "CD REVIEW: Tigran Hamasyan and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir Luys i Luso". 8 October 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  14. "Luys i Luso Project". yerevanchamberchoir.com. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  15. "Tigran Hamasyan / Yerevan State Chamber Choir, Luys i Luso, ECM". www.marlbank.net. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  16. Larkin, Cormac (15 October 2015). "Tigran Hamasyan coaxes sacred sounds from the Armenian darkness". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  17. Adams, Rob (1 November 2015). "CD review: Tigran Hamasyan, Luys i Luso (ECM)". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  18. Nagel, Steve (October 22, 2015). "'Luys i Luso': Jazz Pianist Tigran Hamasyan's Armenian Hymns [REVIEW]". Classicalite. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  19. "Armenian pianist performs at Ani ruins". Hürriyet Daily News. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  20. "Tigran Hamasyan's concert in Ani infuriates Turkish nationalist mayor". Artsakh Press. June 24, 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  21. Stevenson, Tom (1 June 2016). "ANALYSIS: The growing strength of Turkey's ultra-nationalists". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  22. "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 22 May 2019.
  24. ""Luys i Luso" Multimedia Art Project with Tigran Hamasyan". March 6, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  25. "Tickets Selling Out Fast for Tigran Hamasyan's Luys i Luso Multimedia Installation and Concert". AGBU. April 26, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  26. Mkrtichian, Emily. "Luys i Luso". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  27. "Luys i Luso". Plovdiv 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  28. "Luys I Luso Installation to Premiere in Little Armenia District of Los Angeles". Asbarez. April 18, 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  29. "Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti". Teatro Comunale Modena. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  30. Huizenga, Tom (9 October 2015). "Songs We Love: Tigran Hamasyan, 'Your Mercy is Boundless'". NPR. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  31. "Voghormea indz Astvats (God, Have Mercy upon Me)". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
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