The duduk is a double-reed wind instrument categorized as an aerophone, a grouping which also includes the balaban played in Azerbaijan and Iran, the duduki common in Georgia, and the ney in Turkey (History of Armenia.) In Armenia, it is also known as tsiranapogh, which translates as “soul of the apricot tree.” Fitting, in that a duduk is made from the wood of an apricot tree. Usually, the duduk accompanies traditional Armenian songs and dances, and has a mystic, tragic, mournful tone - what John Schaefer calls “the unique plaintive quality.”
However, for this show, hear the duduk as used by musicians from Poland, Germany, Lithuania, the Republic of Georgia, and from England's Peter Gabriel. Hear music by Armenia’s most famous composer, Komitas, for duduk and the zurna, as played by the musicians of the Gurdjieff Ensemble. Then, there’s music by multi-instrumentalist Stephan Micus,which combines duduk and the five-stringed West African harp called sinding.
Listen to music from Lithuania and Mali featuring psaltery player Indre Jurgeleviciute, Malian ngoni player performer Baba Sissoko and multi-instrumentalist Saulius Petreikis, playing duduk. Also, listen to Polish singer and classically-trained pianist Anna Maria Jopek and her band, who use duduk to set poetry by Franciszek Karpiński (1741-1825.)
Hear music from Passion, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which riffs off of an Armenian folk song, starring the duduk. Plus, music for duduk quintet, and Georgian traditional music from New York-based group Mgzavruli featuring the duduk. -Caryn Havlik
Program #4265, the mighty Duduk (First aired 8/20/2019)
ARTIST: Avachi Hobsepian and Antranik Askanian
WORK: The Wind Subsides [1:46]
RECORDING: Armenie: musique de tradition populaire et des Achough
SOURCE: Ocora 580005
INFO: Out of print, but try auction sites or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Peter Gabriel
WORK: The Feeling Begins [3:50]
RECORDING: Passion: Music for 'The Last Temptation of Christ”
SOURCE: Real World #24206
INFO: realworldrecords.com
ARTIST: Gurdjieff Ensemble
WORK: Msho Shoror [11:53]
RECORDING: Music by Komitas
SOURCE: ECM 2451
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Stephan Micus
WORK: The Western Gate [9:33]
RECORDING: White Night
SOURCE: ECM 2639
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Duduk Quintet
WORK: Ankoot Aghchig/Hoven Ingan [7:12]
RECORDING: Winds of Passion
SOURCE: Garni #0037
INFO: Out of print, but try auction sites or Amazon.com
ARTIST: Mgzavruli
WORK: Mountain Melodies, Khorumi [2:02]
RECORDING: There is such a country; it is called GEORGIA
SOURCE: Dancing Crane 0101
INFO: dancingcrane.org
ARTIST: Malituanie feat. Baba Sissoko
WORK: Yele (Light) [7:26]
RECORDING: Malituanie
SOURCE: onerootmusic.com
INFO: https://onerootmusic.bandcamp.com/album/malituanie-feat-baba-sissoko
ARTIST: Anna Maria Jopek
WORK: Kiedy Ranne Wstaja Zorze (When the Morning Lights Arise) [2:21]
RECORDING: Polanna
SOURCE: Universal Poland
INFO: Available at Amazon.com