The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble

He was one of the most dazzling mystics and artists of the 20th century: the Armenian-born Georges Gurdjieff (1866–1949). Gurdjieff established the »Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man« in Paris in the Roaring Twenties, and his spiritual teachings went on to have an impact even up to the New Age movement. He also created a body of music by dictating his compositions to a student of piano, and his works have recently been rediscovered and performed by the likes of Keith Jarrett. Inspired by and named after the influential philosopher and composer, the Gurdjieff Ensemble aims to return his music to its ethnic roots in Armenia. Playing on traditional Caucasian instruments, they bring it back to life with a new spirit – »like an acoustic bridge over the centuries and a tolerance programme from all over the globe« (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung).