I Will Not Be Sad In This World

Despite the album’s title, there’s something inherently mournful about the sound of the *duduk*, the Armenian double-reed woodwind featured here. It’s one of Hollywood’s go-to instruments to evoke the ancient and the mysterious, but in the hands of a master like Djivan Gasparyan, it’s much more. The eight instrumentals on this 1983 album have a reflective, meditative stillness, achieved with nothing but two *duduks*—one playing melody, the other a drone. The result is a haunting and hypnotic lament.

Armenia’s greatest living musician and the acknowledged master of the duduk, Djivan Gasparyan has toured throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States for over fifty years. His work can be heard on numerous film soundtracks, including The Crow, Russia House and Gladiator. The duduk is a traditional woodwind instrument from the greater Armenia region. A double-reed instrument of ancient origin and noted for its unique, mournful sound. This is a combined reissue of Djivan’s debut solo album I Will Not Be Sad In This World (originally released in the Soviet Union in 1983) and Moon Shines At Night from 1993, recorded with infinite guitarist Michael Brook. Now in his 85th year, Djivan is performing a series of farewell concerts over the next 12 months. “Without doubt one of the most beautiful and soulful recordings I have ever heard” – Brian Eno