Akhtamar
Discography
Album available on:
http://www.cypres-records.com
If you’d like a signed version, write to us !
You can also listen to it on the streaming platforms:
dvořák, dabić: origins
“The Akhtamar Quartet plays all this with great unity. Technique is never demonstrated, but always serves expression. The four sound familiar with each other, attentive, courageous. The recording supports this with an airy, warm sound that allows closeness without any harshness.” Online Merker, Dirk Schauß, November 2025. (DE)
“Along the way, we will enjoy the obvious maturity of sound acquired by the Akhtamar Quartet, with just the right amount of warmth and verve in this demanding repertoire, which the quartet rounds off, as usual, with a real discovery.” Larsen, Stephane Renard, November 2025. (BE)
Third album of the Akhtamar Quartet with Cypres, Origins combines classical and folk heritage with contemporary creation, inviting everyone to explore shared stories and universal emotions.
Since its creation, the Akhtamar Quartet has enjoyed intertwining classical and folk music and exploring different cultures. This approach is evident on each of its albums, while promoting a contemporary composer (Eugenie Alecian for Legende armenienne, and Judith Adler de Oliveira for Enluminures). From Antonin Dvorak to Jelena Dabić, a Serbian composer born in 1982, the music becomes eternal poetry and transports us through the ages.
This is an essential recording for chamber music lovers. It celebrates both the romantic heritage, embodied by Dvořák’s mature style, and the opening up to a new generation of female composers. With Anzhamanak by Jelena Dabidabić, this contemporary piece offers a unique sound experience with original timbres and reveals the full expressive power of the Akhtamar Quartet.
Album available on:
http://www.cypres-records.com
If you’d like a signed version, write to us !
You can also listen to it on the streaming platforms:
enluminures Download our presentation file
“The Akhtamar Quartet plays both sides of this music: the sonorous, sensual sound and the highly original thematic structure, which has never before been heard with such effortless, self-evident conciseness. It is truly impressive how the ensemble shapes the melodic contour of the work, articulating it with eloquence and exploring its emotional depths.”
Fono Forum, Giselher Schubert, August 2023. (DE)
“The excellent Akhtamar quartet reveals a young female composer.”
l’Echo, Stephane Renard, April 2023. (BE)
Debussy’s string quartet op.10 was considered perturbing at the time on the Parisian music scene and has since become an absolute staple of quartet repertoire. It sweeps us along the most unexpected harmonic pathways and takes inspiration from sound-worlds as diverse as jazz, gamelan ensembles and Spanish folk music.
Rich in colour and exotic tonalities, this poetic masterpiece frees itself from traditional Western customs and stands as a unique bridge between different cultures. It was the famous Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaye’s string quartet who commissioned the work. They later defended it from the many accusations of “too modern”.
With Opus 10’s ties to Belgium, France and Armenia, The Akhtamar quartet immediately related to it and placed the piece at the heart of their repertoire. The Akhtamar quartet chose its name in reference to both the ancient Armenian myth and the Komitas Miniatures arranged by Aslamazyan, which they have played with passion since their formation.
In all areas of art, ancient works are visited by contemporary artists and adapted or transformed to speak to today’s world. Judith Adler de Oliviera has taken secular, Armenian themes and expressed them through music in a variety of ways. At times, she “narrates” these themes in a direct manner and at others, we have a faint sense of the original material as her innovative approach draws us away from tradition. As some of the same themes figure in the Miniatures by Komitas/Aslmazyan, a pathway is created between Oliviera’s work and the music which lies at the heart of Akhtamar’s repertoire.
Album available on:
http://www.cypres-records.com
If you’d like a signed version, write to us !
You can also listen to it on streaming platforms:
légende arménienne
“Komitas’s Miniatures are lively and folky, while Alécian’s Un quatuor arménien has a darker, more wistful outlook. The admirable Akhtamar Quartet seems equally at home with the demands of both.” BBC Music Magazine (UK) — 2020
“The Akhtamar favour tenderness and melancholy. With its brightness and refinement (…) this interpretation stands out for its chamber music-like, intimate and sometimes naive character.” Fabienne Bouvet — magazine CLASSICA (FR) — 2021
“A remarkable album in every respect.” Adèle Molle — Musiq’3 (BE) — 2020
The Komitas Miniatures manage to condense all aspects of Armenian musical culture into a few short minutes. Serguey Aslamazyan’s arrangements of the work for string quartet enhance their inherent emotional intensity. We sense a nobility in the quartet arrangements, which is not present in the original. However, Aslamazyan’s subtle additions do not distort the Miniatures’ real message of peace and hope.
Similarly, these themes lie at the heart of Eugenie Alécian’s “Un Quatuor arménien’. This powerful work expresses the energy of a country that never stops singing and dancing, no matter how much it suffers.