Constantinople

This meeting and dialogue between the kora and the setar seemed to come from the depths of the earth, as though these instruments, along with the viola da gamba and percussion, had always existed side by side.

This meeting and dialogue between the kora and the setar seemed to come from the depths of the earth, as though these instruments, along with the viola da gamba and percussion, had always existed side by side.

This meeting and dialogue between the kora and the setar seemed to come from the depths of the earth, as though these instruments, along with the viola da gamba and percussion, had always existed side by side.

This meeting and dialogue between the kora and the setar seemed to come from the depths of the earth, as though these instruments, along with the viola da gamba and percussion, had always existed side by side.

As part of the Istanbul Music Festival, Constantinople takes over one of the city’s most historically rich venues: the Grand Bazaar. A crossroads of trade routes for centuries, this iconic space hosts the concert “Fleeting Beauties” — an invitation to experience music as a fleeting and precious encounter between different eras and geographies.

The programme features music ranging from the Italian Renaissance to Ottoman and Iranian repertoires, brought together for one evening to reveal the fragile beauty of each musical moment. Alongside counter-tenor Marco Beasley, Constantinople explores this living plurality in which each work exists fully only in the moment of its performance.

A unique concert, at the heart of a unique place.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

Under the Indian Musical Sky transports us into the sublime, refined world of an unparalleled musical civilization. Transmitted orally from one generation to the next, with its melodic ragas, precisely calculated yet highly complex rhythms and beats, and its both geometric and lyrical ornamentation, Indian music, from the north down to the south, provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration and beauty.”

Kiya Tabassian and his ensemble Constantinople present a contemporary reinterpretation of the Rubaiyat, the renowned collection of poems by Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician Omar Khayyam. In collaboration with singer Ghalia Benali, they pay tribute to the legacy of Umm Kulthum, the iconic voice of Middle Eastern music, by revisiting the compositions of Riad Al Sunbati that brought these quatrains to life. Through new arrangements and original compositions by Tabassian, the project creates a vibrant dialogue between centuries-old Sufi poetry and the sounds of today, bridging Arab and Persian musical traditions.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

A musical journey into the world of Czech composer Kryštof Harant (1564-1621) and his travel book that details his odyssey from Prague to Jerusalem by way of Venice, Cyprus, Sinai and Cairo. The internationally renowned vocal ensemble Cappella Mariana and Constantinople join forces to revisit Harant’s music and the music he would have heard on his extraordinary 17th-century expedition.

A musical journey into the world of Czech composer Kryštof Harant (1564-1621) and his travel book that details his odyssey from Prague to Jerusalem by way of Venice, Cyprus, Sinai and Cairo. The internationally renowned vocal ensemble Cappella Mariana and Constantinople join forces to revisit Harant’s music and the music he would have heard on his extraordinary 17th-century expedition.