Nostalgique Armenie: Songs of Love, Hope, Exile and Improvisations (1942-1952)

This is a homage to the music of the Armenian diaspora. The liner notes state that the Caucasus is the main focus, but the Turkish and Arabic traditions are audibly prominent as well. For example, three of the 24 tracks are by the famed oud (lute) player Udi Hrant, who lived in Turkey until the end of his life.

Several recordings were made in France, but some were made in the US, Turkey and the state of Armenia inside the USSR. One of the most spectacular of the Armenia-recorded pieces, ‘You are Svelte like the Poplar’, by the Tatoul Altounian Ensemble, contains striking sections of polyphonic singing. On ‘Farhad is Dead’ by singer Shara Talian, the text is apparently derived from an Armenian adaptation of ‘Khosrow e Shirin’ by Persian poet Nizami (born in Azerbaijan); it features an almost bluesy piano, just within the limits of what was permissible in the USSR.

Komitas, the Armenian composer, musicologist and priest, gets ample attention in the liner notes, but it is not indicated which tracks are connected with him; eight tracks are by singer Sonia Karakach, who settled in France, but there is hardly a word about her. However, the album remains a memorable way to get acquainted with gems of Armenian musical heritage.