Dialogos Constantinople & Holland Baroque

• Didem Bașar (b.1974): Echoes of the Throne Room (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink):
• 1 Bașar: Echoes of the Throne Room (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink) 04:41
• Tineke Steenbrink (b. 1977): Frate Vento:
• 2 Steenbrink: Frate Vento 05:18
• Dimitrius Cantemir (1673 - 1723), Judith Steenbrink (b. 1977): Heaven lives in the other:
• 3 Cantemir, Steenbrink: Heaven lives in the other 03:57
• Judith Steenbrink: Welcome:
• 4 Steenbrink: Welcome 04:06
• Tineke Steenbrink: Angelus Bells (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink):
• 5 Steenbrink: Angelus Bells (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink) 04:11
• Ali Ufki (1610 - 1675): Muhayyer Semai (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink):
• 6 Ufki: Muhayyer Semai (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink) 04:22
• Tineke Steenbrink: Walking in the Desert:
• 7 Steenbrink: Walking in the Desert 08:11
• Kiya Tabassian (b. 1976): Bood Amma Naboud (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink):
• 8 Tabassian: Bood Amma Naboud (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink) 05:34
• Dream of Hope (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink):
• 9 Tabassian: Dream of Hope (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink) 07:36
• Judith Steenbrink: Lauda:
• 10 Steenbrink: Lauda 05:24
• Sia laudato San Francesco:
• 11 Steenbrink: Sia laudato San Francesco 04:53
• Total Runtime 58:13

Info for Dialogos

In Dialogos, Holland Baroque and Constantinople embark on a musical journey inspired by one of history’s most remarkable encounters: the meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade in 1219. Eight centuries later, their gesture of openness and mutual respect becomes the creative spark for this collaboration — a meeting not of faiths or institutions, but of human voices and mutual respect.

Drawing from ancient sources such as the Laudario di Cortona and the works of the 17th-century Polish musician Ali Ufki (Wojciech Bobowski), 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, the music becomes a living dialogue — a conversation of timbres and histories that celebrates listening over division, and resonance over conflict. Each note reflects a crossing of cultures where the old inspires the new, and where peace begins in sound.

Known for their inventive reimagining of the Baroque repertoire and intercultural encounters, Holland Baroque and the Montreal-based ensemble Constantinople both thrive on collaboration and stylistic exploration. Their meeting in Dialogos continues a creative lineage that has made Holland Baroque a long-standing PENTATONE partner, following Silk Baroque, Telemann Polonoise & Brabant 1653 (2021), Minne (2022), Bachs Königin (2023), and the EP Metamorphosis (2024). Here, as in those projects, the ensemble transforms history into a contemporary message: that music is dialogue itself.

Constantinople
Kiya Tabassian, direction
Holland Baroque
Judith & Tineke Steenbrink, direction

Constantinople
is a musical ensemble that chose the journey—geographical certainly, but also historical, cultural and inner—as its cornerstone. It draws inspiration from all sources and aims for distant horizons. Inspired by the ancient city illuminating the East and West, Constantinople was founded in 2001 in Montreal by its artistic director, Kiya Tabassian.

Since its founding, the ensemble promotes the creation of new works incorporating musical elements of diverse musical traditions around the world, drawing from medieval manuscripts to a contemporary aesthetic, passing by Mediterranean Europe to Eastern traditions and New World Baroque. Underpinned by a spirit of research and creation, Constantinople has joined forces with leading international artists such as singers Marco Beasley, Françoise Atlan, Savina Yannatou and Suzie Le Blanc; the Mandingo griot Ablaye Cissoko; the Greek ensemble En Chordais, the Belgian duo Belem and the American group The Klezmatics; sarangi virtuoso Dhruba Ghosh, Syrian clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh, and Iranian kamancheh master Kayhan Kalhor.

Regularly invited to perform in international festivals and prestigious concert halls, such as the Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, or WOMAD (Australia, New Zeland), Constantinople is acclaimed by the public, music professionals and critics alike.

Constantinople has been awarded several times with prices such as Prix Opus (Canada), Prix Charles Cros (France) and the 2024 JUNO Award for the Best Classical Album of the Year with Il Ponte di Leonardo (Canada).

The ensemble has 21 albums to its credit on labels Analekta, Atma, World Village, Buda Musique, MaCase, Dreyer Gaido and Glossa. Several albums have been nominated for Juno, Folk Alliance and ADISQ prices. Over the past fifteen years, Constantinople has created over 60 works and travelled to more than 290 cities in 57 countries.

Holland Baroque
enriches the musical canon with inexhaustible curiosity by approaching the score as an unfinished work of art. Knowledge, skill, imagination, and playfulness unite as the baroque becomes a new experience. From this outlook, Holland Baroque has found its own distinctive sound. Judith and Tineke Steenbrink, artistic directors and the beating heart of the ensemble, write and arrange for the orchestra and their musical guests. This has led to innovative projects such as Gospel Baroque with the London Community Gospel Choir, Love is Crazy with punk diva Sven Ratzke, and Silk Baroque with sheng player Wu Wei. Through their extensive research, they have discovered of a treasure trove of repertoire and brought forth appreciation of forgotten 17th-century composers like Benedictus a Sancto Josepho.

The orchestra has received widespread recognition with projects featuring trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and singer-songwriter Daniël Lohues as well as through their collaboration with Reinbert de Leeuw, which left a deep and lasting impression.

The orchestra also supports young talent and the future of music by fostering creativity in children through school concerts. In the Samama Fellowship, young professionals gain experience by playing with the orchestra throughout a full season. Awards such as the Edison, the VSCD, and the REMA Education award, serve as recognition for Holland Baroque’s artistic quality, dedication, and approach to music-making.

Booklet for Dialogos