The Naghash Ensemble

The Naghash Ensemble from Armenia combines the spirituality of ancient Armenian music with new classical, post-minimalism, and the energy of rock and jazz. Three brilliant singers and virtuoso instrumentalists on duduk, oud, dhol, and grand piano play new music based on the texts of the medieval poet and priest Mkrtich Naghash. The “Songs of Exile,” composed for the Naghash Ensemble by American Armenian John Hodian, form a poignant meditation on the relationship between man and God—from the perspective of a priest who was forced to spend many years in exile. The Musica Sacra International festival also features liturgical chants from the Patarag (the Armenian liturgy), medieval sharakans (sacred hymns), and works by composer Komitas Vardapet, the founder of modern Armenian music. “Sublime music between pride and beauty, sorrow and hope,” wrote the Hamburger Abendblatt, and the BR Klassik review stated: “Music that is difficult to describe as old or new, foreign or familiar, Western or Eastern, simple or complex, minimalist or medieval. In any case, music that defies labeling.”