Holland Baroque, Constantinople

Didem Bașar: Echoes of the Throne Room (orch. J. Steenbrink)
Tineke Steenbrink: Frate Vento
Judith Steenbrink / Dimitrius Cantemir: Heaven lives in the other
Steenbrink: Welcome
Tineke Steenbrink: Angelus Bells (orch. J. Steenbrink)
Ufkî: Muhayyer Semai (orch. J. Steenbrink)
Tineke Steenbrink: Walking in the Desert
Tabassian: Bood Amma Naboud (orch. J. Steenbrink)
Tabassian: Dream of Hope (orch. J. Steenbrink)
Steenbrink: Lauda
Steenbrink: Sia laudato San Francesco

In Dialogos, Holland Baroque and the Montreal-based ensemble Constantinople embark on a musical journey inspired by the historic 1219 meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade. Drawing from ancient sources like the Laudario di Cortona and the works of 17th-century Polish-Ottoman musician Ali Ufki, the ensembles weave new compositions where Persian, Ottoman, and early Western Baroque traditions intertwine. Under the artistic direction of Kiya Tabassian and Judith and Tineke Steenbrink, this collaboration becomes a living dialogue of timbres and histories that celebrates cultural crosscurrents and mutual respect.

"Pentatone is to be congratulated on the sparkling clarity of this recording too. Kiya Tabassian is indeed a virtuoso and his exquisite playing is never lost; rather it pops through the texture in the most evocative way... timely, hopeful and sumptuous." — March 2026