Los Angeles, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Varujan Ughurlyan Official Website) - The complete musical compositions of Varujan Ughurlyan, recorded on two full-length compact discs, are now available online for purchase and download. The news was announced by the Creativity Center for the Arts, Inc., a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that was established this year in memory of Ughurlyan, who passed away in March at the age of 44.
The compact discs, titled I Have Decided to Return Home and Kanchum e Sirtu (The Heart Beckons), represent the gamut of Ughurlyan's music. "These posthumously released works form a sprawling narrative, at turns soaring and contemplative, that exude an effortless originality and the artist's signature sense of joy," commented arts critic Ishkhan Jinbashian.
I Have Decided to Return Home comprises instrumental pieces that reveal Ughurlyan's affinities with diverse musical genres and cultural references, punctuated with spoken poetry. The album integrates elements ranging from spiritual and Eastern to lounge, achieving what Jinbashian described as "a magical mystery tour of the global musical landscape."
Ughurlyan juxtaposed his instrumental compositions with a large body of Armenian rock songs, which have been collected in Kanchum e Sirtu. "With their off-the-beaten-track lyrics and rich melodies, these works lend a fresh sheen to modern Armenia rock," Jinbashian said. In addition to writing all the material, Ughurlyan performed as vocalist and guitar player on Kanchum e Sirtu. He also played guitar on the tracks of I Have Decided to Return Home.
Both albums are available at www.v-uzh.com and www.cdbaby.com. Proceeds from the sale of the CDs will benefit the Creativity Center for the Arts, Inc., which supports a variety of art initiatives in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Varujan Ughurlyan is also renowned as a painter and author. Only months before his death, he had overseen the publication of The Dark Side of the Moon, a large-format anthology of his verse and prose poems interspersed with reproductions of his paintings. The Dark Side of the Moon was published in separate English- and Armenian-language editions.
"In these volumes, Varujan Ughurlyan has constructed an ebullient coda of spiritual actualization," Jinbashian commented. "With a style at once fiercely expressionistic yet down to earth, Ughurlyan's paintings speak of an abiding quest for self-awareness and liberation. That quest is amplified in the artist's playful, charmingly layered writings, making for an intriguing and ultimately soothing ensemble."
The twin editions of The Dark Side of the Moon are available for purchase at www.v-uzh.com, a website dedicated to the life and works of Varujan Ughurlyan. The site offers excerpts and reviews of the artist's writings, numerous examples of his paintings, and MP3 files of his music. As with Ughurlyan's compact discs, proceeds from the sale of his books will benefit the Creativity Center for the Arts, Inc.
On October 14, 2007, a commemorative event was organized in Los Angeles to honor the many facets of Ughurlyan's legacy. The event, which took place at Glendale's Royal Gallery, included an exhibition of paintings, poetry readings, musical performances, and the screening of a short documentary.
In her opening remarks, actress Nune Avetisyan spoke of Ughurlyan's extraordinary ability of both celebrating and transcending his milieu � a gift, she said, that translated into a luminous level of inner peace. "Varujan knew no borders, whether internal or external," Avetisyan continued. "Through his words, music, and canvases, he reached for and saw himself as one with not only the world, but the cosmos itself. The abiding condition of such spiritual and intellectual openness was his overflowing love, a force that defined every fiber of his being."
Avetisyan went on to read various passages from Ughurlyan's poems and prose. Her readings were interwoven with performances by pianist Gevorg Jamburyan, cellist Misak Aleksanyan, and vocalist Rima Karapetyan.
The evening also included the screening of a short tribute film. It featured excerpts of a 2006 interview which Ughurlyan had given during a visit to his native Armenia after a long absence. The artist and his family had moved to Los Angeles in 1990.
In one of the interview segments, Ughurlyan commented on the creative process. "Many are those who are called; few are those who are chosen," he said. "The chosen actually choose themselves, thereby assuming a great responsibility and a great burden. Once you do this, you must go the mile. You must push on to the end. For as long as you breathe, you must give and dedicate yourself, make good on your dreams. It's all about understanding and love, and it's what I wish to all the thinkers and artists of the world."
Official Site: https://www.v-uzh.com/
