Constantinople & Ghalia Benali

Mit Constantinople hat der iranische Musiker Kiya Tabassian ein ganz besonderes Musikensemble in Kanada geschaffen, das sich nicht nur einer geographischen, sondern auch einer historischen, kulturellen und inneren Reise verschrieben hat. Das Ensemble außergewöhnlicher Instrumentalist*innen verbindet in seinen Werken die Elemente verschiedener musikalischer Traditionen – von mittelalterlichen Manuskripten bis hin zu einer zeitgenössischen Ästhetik, die vom mediterranen Europa bis zu östlichen Traditionen reicht.

Rumi, who lived in the 13th century, left an imperishable treasure with his more than 100,000 verses, which fascinated Kiya Tabassian from an early age: "To immerse oneself in Rumi’s world and words is to open a window onto deep thought and universal spirituality.” When his paths crossed with the exceptional and internationally renowned Tunisian-Belgian artist Ghalia Benali, he knew immediately that her unique voice and expressive performance were perfect for Rumi's timeless, intoxicating poems.

Since then they have explored musical paths together, breaking down all boundaries in Rumi's spirit. In addition to Persian poems, the two also selected little-known and almost never set to music Arabic poems by Rumi, who always refused to declare allegiance to a specific country or nation: "I am neither of the East or of the West."

Kiya Tabassian - setar, voice, musical direction
Ghalia Benali – voice
Didem Basar – kanun
Charbel Rouhana – oud
Hamin Honari – percussion
Neva Özgen – Kemençe
Patrick Graham – percussions

constantinople.ca