The Naghash Ensemble of Armenia will be performing a concert titled Songs of Exile, Songs of Wisdom in Toronto on March 29. It takes place at the Aga Khan Museum’s Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium.
Their music fuses elements of Armenian tradition and Western classical music with contemporary minimalism and style in a unique 21st century sound.
The Ensemble is named after Mkrtich Naghash, an Armenian painter, poet, and priest who lived from 1394 to 1470. He was eventually exiled from his post in Amid (Dikranagerd) by the Ottoman authorities for the temerity of constructing a church steeple that was higher than that of the mosques in the neighbourhood. Much of his poetry deals with the themes and practicalities of living in exile, and it’s written in a style that was closer to spoken language in order to connect with his people.
Those themes are reflected in the Ensemble’s music, largely written by John Hodian. A new work, based on medieval writings by Kostandin Erznkaci, with music by Hodian, is titled Songs of Exile. It’s a reflection on humankind’s relationship to God, taken from the perspective of a monk who has been living in exile for many years.
The Naghash Ensemble of Armenia
Hodian talks about the origins of the Ensemble in a 2020 interview. “The idea for The Naghash Ensemble came when I first heard Hasmik singing in the ancient Temple of Garni outside of Yerevan, Armenia. She primarily sang medieval Armenian spiritual music and her beautiful voice, combined with the astounding acoustics of Garni, left an indelible impression in my mind for days after. I was determined to write something that would use this sound in a new way. It took several years to discover the right text. I spent many months researching in the libraries of Yerevan, New York, and Berlin. When I finally came across a small fragment of the Armenian medieval poet Mkrtich Naghash, the words leapt off the page and into my soul and I knew I had found what I was looking for.”
The members are:
- Hasmik Baghdasaryan • soprano
- Tatevik Movsesyan • soprano
- Shahane Zalyan • alto
- Harutyun Chkolyan • duduk
- Aram Nikoghosyan • oud
- Tigran Hovhannisyan • dhol
- John Hodian • piano/composer
With three women vocalists, the emphasis is on choral and vocal works in settings that are lush and melodic. Stylistically, the combine elements of Western classical music, Armenian folk music, contemporary post-minimalism, and the drive of rock and jazz.
- Find more details and tickets for the March 29 concert [HERE].
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