Yeraz

There are few instruments as beautiful as the Armenian duduk. Its plaintive, reedy tone seems to exude melancholy. Djivan (or Jivan) Gasparyan is the acknowledged master of the instrument and one of his innovations is this duduk quartet – which takes its inspiration, of course, from the classical string quartet. Here, with his grandson Djivan Gasparyan Jr on second duduk, plus alto and bass duduks, they play a selection of harmonised Armenian tunes, recorded in the atmospheric 13th-century Geghard Monastery.

It's a shame that the opening of the first piece, ‘Kujn Ara’, isn't together – Gasparyan Sr starting a microsecond before the others. It should have been an instant candidate for a retake. And with the slightly dubious inclusion of Schubert's ‘Ave Maria’, I do wonder about the selection of pieces. But ‘Tsirani Tsar’, a song collected by Armenian composer Komitas, is very appropriate, as the duduk itself is made from apricot wood – tsirani is Armenian for ‘apricot.’ The prevailing pace is slow and the mood sombre, but the album is undeniably beautiful, with an extraordinary sense of stillness.