Bassma suite

"Lousadzak" is a septet which made several tours and produced a Cd in 1994.
In this music, we can find Claude Tchamitchian's Armenian origins through both melodies and a scoring that the leader brings nearer to oriental orchestras. So, melody is the main structure, and rhythmic articulation springs from its numerous counterpoints.
Then, Claude Tchamitchian felt like writing an orchestral suite so as to carry on with these features. On his two trips to Armenia, he was deeply moved by Henri Bassmadjian's paintings and this encounter made his musical conception more coherent.
Henri Bassmadjian's work expresses completely his artistic sensibility by means of strong monolithic monochromatic blocks and a carefully planned unsteadiness in proportions. His apparent simplicity and a strength that can't be ignored were a kind of evidence for Tchamitchian who found in them the basic principle of his compositions: a long orchestral suite in which relations between proportions and disproportions, linear melody and counterpoint, tones and sound material are explored; in this musical thought, the score of each instrument is deliberately simple, able to make interactions of effects and previously mentioned elements heard.
Henri Bassmadjian's painting is essentially turned toward human condition, the music of Tchamitchian in Grand Lousadzak is paying tribute to his involvement in humanity.
For this work, Tchamitchian has extended Lousadzak group with six other musicians - all of them choosen for the same reasons: a beautiful voice, a strong personality, a great deal of talent as player and composer.