Recorded during the sessions that yielded Hamasyan’s 2017 release An Ancient Observer, these five additional solo piano tracks form a statement in themselves. They can be intimate and restrained, sonically off-kilter, and serious in mood, ascending in complexity until we reach the concise virtuosic blastoff of “Self – Portrait” and the grandly unfolding arc of the finale, “Revolving – Prayer.” The touches of wordless vocalizing, tightly coiled cyclical rhythms, and fresh aesthetic choices make For Gyumri an absorbing and often surprising listen.