La Porte de Félicité

This collaboration is led by Kudsi Erguner, the renowned master of the ney (Middle Eastern flute) and veteran of countless contemporary fusion music projects, with the French ensemble Doulce Mémoire, specialists in Renaissance music. The intention was to speculate on music that could have reverberated around Istanbul’s Golden Horn during the first century of Ottoman rule in Istanbul. The city hosted flourishing French, Spanish, Italian, Jewish, Arabic and Greek communities living alongside the Ottomans, creating a common cultural habitat. Hence the name La Porte de Félicité (The Gate of Felicity), referring to the walled city part of Galata. At the same time, some of the most refined West European court music had reached Istanbul in popularised form. Thus elements from polyphonic masses and dance music for the Burgundy court received a further treatment in Istanbul when kemenches, neys and Janissary military bands joined in. Likewise, some of the Italian and Spanish musicians contributed their own influences. And the taverna scene around Galata was, in all likelihood, probably at least as lively as it is today.

On this disc we hear interpretations using Ottoman instruments tackling popular music from the West European courts, with the musicians of Doulce Mémoire addressing Ottoman melody lines, helped by Kudsi Erguner and colleagues. The recording was made in an Armenian church in Istanbul and the music is certainly convincing – albeit perhaps somewhat less spectacular than the daring extravaganzas from Jordi Savall or Christina Pluhar. But that is a stylistic choice, and this approach leaves enough room for subtle variations.