Composed  2011; 3 minutes

Etude No. 1 was composed as a solo piano work and is from Tigran’s album An Ancient Observer, released in 2017 on Nonesuch records. Some pieces including Etude No. 1 were through-composed, while others offered less-formal frameworks, leaving space for improvisation. Well known as a jazz pianist, Tigran has also become increasingly regarded as a composer in his eight albums recorded as the sole leader. “I have been composing since I was nine and composing is a huge part of my daily life and all the records I did from World Passion to An Ancient Observer,” he says. “For me creating a beautiful melody is very important and is the basis, but what you will do with that melody, considering the age of folk music creation is over, is the most important task.”

Armenian-born, Los Angeles-raised pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan is one of the 21st century’s true slipstream musicians. His work crosses boundaries between jazz, crossover classical, electronic, Baroque dance, vocal and Armenian folk music atop electronic backdrops and hip-hop beats. He has seen success from an early age, winning competitions including the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival and the grand prize at the prestigious 2006 Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition.