The considerable body of piano music by Gurdjieff and de Hartmann is only now starting to receive proper attention. It is one of the first examples of music of the Near East presented for a primarily Western audience, and thus stands with other examples of notated folk music and idioms such as the work of Bartók and Kodály in Hungary.
It is sometimes wrongly thought that this music is primarily meditative. This character is certainly true of some movements, but in respect of the Songs and Rhythms of Asia there is also music of great passion and vigour. Generally, the interpretative history of these works has tended towards a slower and quieter reading than they merit in my view. This is partly because the tempo, dynamic and phrasing markings in the score are minimal. This in turn reflects the fact that these works are effectively notated improvisations, reflecting the Near East improvisatory folk traditions. As such, it is for the interpreter to look within each piece in order to find and bring out its essential character. Such work to find the truth beneath the surface has an obvious resonance with Gurdjieff’s spiritual teachings.
As notated improvisations, these works are not subject to the same context as much of Western classical music. Having known this music for many years, and also having listened to examples of the authentic traditions which it draws upon, there are occasions in these recordings where I have made slight alterations to the written score as the moment has suggested to me, and taken or omitted repeats as the case may be. I believe that in doing so I have preserved fidelity to the spirit of the works rather than reducing them to their mere notation. I have also conceived each series of pieces as a continuous whole, emphasising the connectedness of the ideas and their contrasting natures.
These recordings are presented in the public domain for purely educational purposes in order to promote the further understanding and appreciation of these important works.
Professor John Kersey 