Tigran Hamasyan with the Yerevan State Chamber Choir - Luys I Luso (2015)

Armenian for "light from Light", Luys I Luso was the brainchild of pianist Tigran Hamasyan (b. 1987) in which he wanted to fuse together Armenian sacred choral pieces from the 5th - 20th centuries (including ones by Komitas) with classical composition and improvisation.  The results were gorgeous and spellbinding, with the austere beauty of the Yerevan State Chamber Choir blending perfectly with Hamasyan's piano.

Sometimes providing minimal piano accompaniment, sometimes letting rip in more jazzy runs (Voghormea indz Astvats is the most eyebrow-raisingly energetic thing here), Hamasyan's skill is that this potentially clashing mix just works, and pays off in spades.  Whether he's taking a brief diversion into prepared piano (Nor Tsaghik) or closing the album with a sampled recording from 1912 ('made in the presence of Komitas'), Luys I Luso is superbly arranged and just hugely enjoyable in its otherworldly, transportive magic.

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