Search - Lalezar Ensemble :: Music of the Sultans Sufis & Seraglio

In Turkey's Ottoman Empire, as in other nations, minority groups made important contributions to arts and sciences within the dominant culture. The third volume of this exhaustive four-CD series showcases works by Armenian, Jewish, and Greek composers. From the 17th to 19th centuries, immigrant musicians were popular at court and with religious leaders but lived freely within their own faiths and cultures. Aside from fragments by earlier composers, this program includes a generous selection of pieces dating from the early 20th century, when minority nightclub performers were central figures of a creative renaissance that summed up much of what had come before. Lalezar, which is comprised of five men and one woman, is easily the peer--or better--of any original instrument ensemble. Their delicately articulated, lyrical performances reflect a deep understanding of the complex scales and time signatures that are the essence of this exotic and rewarding music. --Christina Roden