antarja

Early 2023 saw the release of our latest CD of works for string quartet by married composers: Grażyna and Andrzej Krzanowski.

Andrzej Krzanowski’s composition, String Quartet No. 3 from 1988, is the culmination of the now mature work of the prematurely deceased artist. Dedicated to Witold Lutosławski, the work contains numerous self-quotations and draws on a rich range of expressive musical means, which requires technical proficiency and great maturity from the performers. Grażyna Krzanowska’s compositions, on the other hand, comprise two quartets and an Adagietto for a string quartet, seemingly very different from each other, yet infused with a similar emotional climate. The first of these, String Quartet No. 2, has a musical narrative defined by a programme that expresses a quest, a hesitation between seriousness and playfulness. String Quartet No. 3 is also based on contrasts, oscillating between a choral cantilena and a ‘wild’, exuberant dance. The ‘Adagietto’, a very heterogeneous piece that uses various stylistic devices, is also multi-faceted, which is reflected in the musical layer of the piece.

The Antarja Quartet has been selected to participate in the European MERITA program, joining the ranks of outstanding young string quartets from across Europe. MERITA is a platform for musicians, mentors, historical houses, and concert organizers, working both online and offline, to re-invigorate the tradition of classical music performance in Europe. MERITA works to increase the visibility and circulation of emerging European string quartets while promoting cultural heritage sites across Europe. Together, the MERITA platform members create opportunities to redefine performance, reach wider audiences, and foster an artistic connection between tradition and innovation.

As part of this program, we will perform concerts in various locations across Europe with our original program designed for people with disabilities, which we have named “Painted by Music.” The music we perform evokes a range of different emotions, and during the concert, the audience is invited to reflect on their experiences through painting. This way, participants are not just passive listeners but are engaged in the creative process and become co-creators. In the final part of the concert, the drawings created by the audience serve as inspiration for us to create a musical improvisation based on them.

We wanted to create a project that would give people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in an engaging concert with a specially curated program. Participants can become fully involved during the concert and immediately express the emotions that classical music evokes in them. This format makes the concert much more accessible for them. We aim to make classical music, specifically chamber music in this case, more tailored to specific audiences and their needs.

This conceet program ensures a highly emotive experience for both contemporary music enthusiasts and those encountering it for the first time.

Ağır&Penderecki is a unique collaboration between artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. They have come together to create a musical experience that offers the audience an opportunity to appreciate the iconic composition of Krzysztof Penderecki, a renowned late Polish composer, and Orkun Ağır, a young composer and bağlama-virtuoso of Dutch, Georgian and Turkis roots. Orkun Ağır has developed his own musical language, which is partly inspired by Penderecki’s music.

In 2019, the composer began working on his Quintet for bağlama. After being inspired by Antarja’s performance of Penderecki’s 3rd string quartet, he decided to dedicate the piece to the Antarja Quartet. We embarked on a long-term project with the help of Dutch institutions like TalentHub Brabant and Intro. The project was presented in January 2020 through five concerts, the largest of which took place at the renowned Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven.

Orkun Ağır introduced bağlama to classic chamber music, creating an original concert programme that beautifully combined his unique sound with the masterpiece of Penderecki. This was proven during our concerts in Utrecht, Maastricht, Den Bosch, Eindhoven, and Heerlen.