Ampel

The trio of Nor Dar comes from Armenia. Right from their first album "Opus of the Lizard" (winner of the Armenian Music Awards 1998) the group showed the desire to give a broader experimental spirit of the legacy of Komitas, the father of Armenian music. The success surely comes from the unquestionable ability of the group's members at the time of using traditional instruments. And combined with the classical education and the general preoccupation with jazz, it led to a more complex musical alloy, which is obviously intended to pass the traditional and classical music of their country to a wider audience, opening new avenues of evolution.

The Armenian monk Soghomon Soghomonian, better known by his priest’s name of Komitas, collected hundreds of folksongs around 1900 during the course of his travels through the Armenian highlands between Van Lake, the Black Sea and the southern Caucasus. These songs, handed down orally over the centuries, express all the archaism of this ancient people’s unmistakeable culture – a culture than was nearly extinguished in the genocide of the Armenians during the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917…

The Music Committee of Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society of Western USA has undertaken the publication of these works in a 2-CD set. The first features the arrangements for piano of his classical, well-known and cherished songs by composers Robert Andriasian and Gevorg Saradjian. In their arrangements, Andriasian and Saradjian have transformed the monophonic original melodies into charming piano compositions, enriched with harmonic and polyphonic elements. The second consists of all his piano works (except for the several variations of his Dances). ..

As a professional singer, Hasmik Baghdasaryan, the soloist of the vocal ensemble Luys, appreciates the way the members of the Armenian quintet work together. The musicians’ cooperation within the ensemble is very harmonious and cheerful but at the same time on a high professional level. When on tour, Luys presents two very exclusive pieces of music “Banin Hor“ and “Ibr Zard“: The first piece was specially written for Hasmik Baghdasaryan, while the other one has been composed by her good friend, the well-known Armenian composer and artist Vahan Artsruni. He gave Luys the exclusive right to sing this song, which is a great honor to the artists. Besides her work with Luys, Hasmik Baghdasaryan has recorded many albums with modern composers, as for example with the Greek composer Alkis Baltas; with Vahan Artsruni she has recorded music comprising the music era of more than 500 years; and she has transferred the music of Mesrop Mashtots into the modern music age….

… Arax Mansourian's recordings of medieval Armenian chants are an important part of the treasure vault of Armenian music. In the 1990's, during a liturgical festival, she toured 14 cities in France with an all male Armenian choir. French Armenian artist Garzou said …….“Arax Mansourian was divine in Yekmalian's liturgy. As if she wasn't a singer but virgin Mary herself, so impressive and powerful was her singing…”