CANCELLED: Maria Farantouri / En Chordais / Ensemble Constantinople

No European figure is associated more closely with the Silk Road than Marco Polo, who travelled to China in 1271 and returned to Venice in 1295. The Greek group En Chordais, the amazing Maria Farantouri and the Constantinople Ensemble now recreate the cosmopolitan merchant’s travel accounts in sound. The result is a musical string of pearls drawing on the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern traditions – and it is given an additional sparkle by guests from Italy, Iran, Mongolia and China.

Through their music, oud player Kyriakos Kalaitzidis’s quintet has earned a global reputation for research on Byzantine and Mediterranean music from the 13th century onwards. Since her work with Mikis Theodorakis, Maria Farantouri has become known as the voice of Greek song. And with the Iranian brothers Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, the Constantinople Ensemble builds a bridge to the Middle East. This is the soundtrack to a unique medieval road movie.