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Alain Kremski - Gurdjieff / De Hartmann, Volume 2

Alain Kremski - Gurdjieff / De Hartmann, Volume 2

€25,00 EUR
€25,00 EUR
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Auvidis - LP
France, 1983
Piano / Contemporary / Mystic

In the world of contemporary piano the Gurdjieff / De Hartmann duo is a subcontinent of its own, with a body of work as astounding as that of Erik Satie. With a life straddling two  centuries, the Armenian philosopher / composer / mystic is a synthesis of both worlds, the romantic mysticism of the 19th Century and the stripped-down ethos of 20th Century Modernism. Very likely a role model for Alain Kremski - whose work includes many compositions for Tibetan bowls - the French multi-instrumentalist offers a very personal and profound interpretration of a few dozens of Gurdjieff / De Hartmann compositions, spanning over two records. Precious recordings.

There're only very few classical music composers whose work I'd call bewitching. "Fierce", "strange", "grandiose", "cinematographic", yes, many for sure, but I can't think of any body of work as enigmatic and yet as seductively familiar as that of Gurdjieff and his composition partner Thomas de Hartmann. Impossible to date, or to affiliate with certitude with this or that movement, their music does feel like it belong to the history of classic occidental music nonetheless, connecting points far from each other in space and time, building impossible bridges between 19th Century Persian world and late 20th Century American minimalism. It follows its own logic, much like the pencil worlds of M.C. Eicher. 

Alain Kremski lyrical playing fully activates the hypnagogic powers of Gurdjieff's tunes, making it quite impossible not to fall into a doze, or at least, an opiate dream-like state, a state I can easily describe, unlike the music, that always escape the trap of language and meaning. Essential. (VG+/VG+)

Tracklist

  1. Chant Séïde N°14
  2. Chant Aissorien
  3. Chant D'Orient
  4. Mélodie Grecque
  5. Allegretto
  6. Les Doudoukis
  7. Cérémonie Religieuse N°3
  8. Chant Religieux Orthodoxe D'Asie Mineure N°5
  9. Chant Séïde N°9
  10. Chant Des Molokans
  11. Mélodie Arménienne
  12. Méditation
  13. Chant Persan
  14. Chant Séïde N°13
  15. Hymne D'Un Grand Temple N°5
  16. Hymne D'Un Grand Temple N°12

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