The kanun (in older literature, sometimes called "canon" -- hardly a convenient name for this instrument) is a cousin to the zither; both are descendents of the ancient, "angular" Egyptian harp. The use of the kanun in Middle Eastern traditional music goes back to at least the ninth century, when tradition states the instrument was invented by Turkish scientist Al-Farabi. By comparison, use of the kanun in a context of standardized concert music is relatively new -- the first concerto for the instrument, by Armenian composer Khachatur Avestiyan, wasn't written until 1954. Avestiyan's second concerto for the kanun, composed in 1987, is the main work on this Traditional Crossroads disc, Classical Music for the Armenian Kanun, featuring expert kanunist Karine Hovhannisyan. A student of Avestiyan, Hovhannisyan performs his music in a dedicated and virtuosic manner. That could well describe everything she touches here -- Hovhannisyan is quite simply an amazing player. That Avestiyan's concerto sounds quite a bit like
Aram Khachaturian should not come as much of a surprise, given his enormous impact on twentieth century Armenian music, but it should be mentioned that Avestiyan's orchestration is more flexible and a little less thickly applied than was
Khachaturian's wont.
Khachaturian's orchestrations were built to withstand performances by the Soviet Union's highly variable orchestral bodies, whereas Avestiyan's work seems designed to support the soloist in a manner that is both tasteful and tasty, like a Middle Eastern dish. The remaining menu includes several other pieces by Avestiyan, including an excellent Perpetuum mobile that is even better than the concerto; this is a real showcase for Hovhannisyan's flowing and stunningly beautiful playing. Along the way, we also hear pieces by Sayat Nova and Hovhannisyan's arrangement of a popular film melody by Edvard Baghtasaryan. There is also a medley built from tunes of Komitas and a rendition of his "Sareri hovin mermen"; these seem the weakest of the pieces, but merely because they are the least focused and most meandering. This exciting disc should make the music of the kanun, and Armenian traditional music in general, accessible to most interested listeners, the one caveat being that some tracks utilize a duduk for a drone, and the constant tone can be penetrating and unnerving for some.