Misirli Ahmet, Ziya Tabassian, Zohar Fresco - «Banff Trio»

Concert « Rythmes en Voltige », avec Constantinople et invités (Hiver 2012, Montréal) 'Rhythms in Flight' concert, with Constantinople and guests (Winter 2012, Montreal) «Banff Trio», Ziya Tabassian Avec/with Mirsili Ahmet • darbouka (Turkey) Zohar Fresco • tof miriam, rik, vocals (Israel) Ziya Tabassian • tombak, dayereh, dor-dayereh (Iran -- Canada) Kiya Tabassian • setâr, vocals (Iran -- Canada) Pierre-Yves Martel • viola da gamba (Canada) Amir Amiri • santoor (Iran -- Canada) The rapture of the senses arising from the light touch of a finger on a drum, that universally enchanting instrument. From Dionysian ritual to Sufi ceremonies, the spiritual traveller floats upward in a flurry of trills. Three virtuoso—and slightly crazed—percussionists, a stellar setar player, a gambist of improvisational bravura, and a master of the Persian santoor join forces to explore the infinite landscape of rhythm. Imbued with poetry, joyous drumbeats, musical trompe l'œil and polyrhythms, their gentle siren song leads to musical hypnosis... The Invisible is suddenly within the mind's reach. Drawing inspiration from ancient Istanbul, a trailblazing city illuminating East and West, the Constantinople ensemble, founded in 2001 by the Tabassian brothers, is built on fruitful encounters and alliances. Its musicians, an integral part of Montreal's music scene, have constantly replenished their sources of inspiration, seasoned migrants that they are. From mediaeval manuscripts, Mediterranean and Eastern oral traditions to improvisational works and New World baroque, they are unafraid to take risks in their highly imaginative projects. To bring them to life, the trio teams up with other experimenters in sound, including En Chordais, Barbara Furtuna, Rosario La Tremendita, Homayoun Sakhi, Kaylan Kalhor, Françoise Atlan or Irasema Terrazas. With this current project, they are rolling out the red carpet for two master percussionists whose reputations precede them: Mirsili Ahmet, one of the world's greatest darbouka players who divides his time between Turkey and Egypt, and Zohar Fresco, a specialist in digital percussion who performs throughout the Mediterranean region. Created during a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Alberta, Canada) in February 2012, Rhythms in Flight was performed in Montreal shortly after. As cultural and historical ferrymen of the imagination, Constantinople inhabits the present with a heightened sense of dialogue and harmony. "O lovers, lovers it is time to set out from the world, I hear a drum in my soul's ear coming from the depths of the stars." — Djalal ad-Din Rumi Suivez nous/ Follow us www.constantinople.ca   / ensembleconstantinople