Grigor Narekatsy ’’Havoun, havoun (About the bird)’’The Music of Armenia Vol. 2, Medieval Music

The Music of Armenia, Volume Two: Sharakan spans fifteen centuries of Armenian music, and Komitas’ presence can be deeply felt in some of the arrangements. In many of these songs, though, conductor Daniel Erazhisht has wedded the exotic, often melancholy lyricism of the Near East to the classical purity of a European chamber ensemble, consisting of string quartet, voice, and flute. As a result, the sound is immediately accessible to Western listeners, even as the melodies capture the ear with their surprisi