Djivan Gasparyan (1928-2021) was widely regarded as the Master of the Duduk, a double-reed woodwind instrument. He was nominated for a Grammy for the Best Traditional World Music Album. His playing produces an equal amount of sadness and sweetness in every note, every phrase, and every song. He won four medals at UNESCO worldwide competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973 Gasparyan was awarded the honorary title People’s Artist of Armenia. In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Moon Shines At Night
This is music that can move one deeply, enhanced in places by Gasparyan’s sublime voice. The duduk drone pieces are all gently melancholic, but sadness is rarely more beautiful than this.
I Will Not Be Sad In This World
This album was Gasparyan’s debut release outside the Soviet Union. He is one of the world’s most distinctive, haunting instrumentalists, the master of the duduk, a traditional instrument of Armenia. With it he creates surely the most plaintive and atmospheric sounds on the planet.