Ensemble Constantinople: Dimitrie Cantemir: The Composer Prince

The San Diego Early Music Society presents Ensemble Constantinople: Dimitrie Cantemir: The Composer Prince

Constantinople returns to San Diego to shine a light on the 18th-century Romanian prince Dimitrie Cantemir, whose anthology of instrumental music transcribed using his own notation technology remains one of the most important collections of Ottoman and Middle Eastern music from the 16th and 17th centuries. Ensemble Constantinople performs the music of Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723), a Moldavian prince, scholar, composer, and diplomat. A fascinating historical figure, Cantemir’s compositions are considered part of the Ottoman music repertoire. More influential, though, are the over 350 instrumental works that he preserved in his book Edvar-i Musiki using his own innovative notation system. This book remains one of the most important collections of 16th and 17th century Ottoman and Middle Eastern music.In this stimulating program, music from East and the West are engaged in an inspiring dialogue in which Ottoman music and works by Palestrina, Castello, and Marais coexist, inviting us to listen attentively and creatively to the new shapes these works take in the expert hands of the performers.

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