Exactly 800 years ago the most important inter religious encounter to date took place and an early rapprochement between Christianity and Islam: On the fringes of the Crusades Francis of Assisi and the Muslim Sultan Al Malik Al Kalim met. The Pera Ensemble and Mehmet Cemal Yeşilçay take a look at this historical meeting. They show how music united different peoples and religions even then and create a creative synthesis of both worlds.

Christian and Muslim songs, instrumental improvisations, laudas and Sufi songs from the 13th century are united by the Pera Ensemble, which unites internationally renowned specialists of historical performance practice from Europe and the elite of Turkish art musicians. The very meditative character of the Pera Ensemble allows the listener to quickly immerse himself in the world of musical dialogue and to feel how this music has managed to bring people together in peace. Mehmet Cemal Yeşilçay himself is an example of the deep connection between these two cultures. Born in Istanbul and raised in Munich, Germany, Mehmet Cemal Yeşilçay has earned a reputation as an important interpreter and musicologist through his world-wide appearances and extensive recordings: “I began to study early music in the eighties. I believe, however, that our project ‘1219’ is more concrete and draws its relevance not only from its occasion, but above all from its content.”

Contents:

CD 1
1. Deus lo vult - Pax in Nominee Domini (Marcabru)
2. Seigneurs, sachiez (Thibault de Champagne)
3. Du Shems (Farabi)
4. Danse real
5. Au tans plain de felonie (Thibault de Champagne)
6. Poi las figuras (Alfonso El Sabio)
7. Ghazel (Ibn Arabi)
8. Ave donna santissima
9. Entel hadi entel hak
10. Sia laudato
11. Talaal bardu aleyna
12. Troppo perde l'tempo
13. Hasbi rabi celallah
14. Laudar vollio
15. Hicazussak - Ussak Nasheed
16. La septime estampie real
17. O divina
18. Quasida burda

CD 2
1. Cantico della creature (Francesco d'Assisi)
2. Evrad-I Sherif (Celaleddin Rumi)
3. Quanun
4. Lodi di dio altissimoa - Zikir (Francesco d'Assisi)
5. Medieval lute, qanun, mey
6. Organetto
7. Nat-I Sherif
8. Traverso
9. Gel gör beni ask neyledi (Yunus Emre)
10. Rebap, Fidel - Vihiuela
11. Donna de paradiso (Jacopone da Todi)
12. Oud
13. Qanun, ney, cello, bendir
14. Hizb-Ul bahr (Shadheli)
15. Qanun, traverso
16. Ney
17. Surah Al-Hujurat 9/13 - Surah Al-Ahzab 33/56