Sayyid Chant and Dance

The philosopher and mystic G. I. Gurdjieff, born in Caucasus at the border between Armenia and Turkey, developed a theory which is supposed to mediate between the esoteric knowledge of the East and the scientific thinking of the West. In collaboration with the Russian composer Thomas de Hartmann, he created a series of piano compositions in which melodies from Far Eastern religions are included. Now, some of these works have been arranged for two guitars for the first time since this is suggested by the relationship of the guitar to Asian plucked instruments, such as the lute or 'tar', for tonal reasons. Thus, the clarity and power of this music is expressed in a delicate and colourful way.