Istanbul - Dimitrie Cantemir

This is absolutely a magical recording of music that takes you to a time and place where you never hoped or dreamed you might find yourself. The impeccable musicianship, creativity, and scholarship of the incomparable Jordi Savall, the genius, or genie, piloting this journey, are facts beyond denial, for which we can only be grateful. I have listened to this disc so many times, and I always look forward to hearing it again. If you ever wonder how the Turkish music sounded that Mozart heard in his head when he composed in his Turkish style, I suppose this must be it.

this is an excellent work from Prince Cantemir who wrote the MUsic of the Ottoman Empire, a tradition which, however came from the Bysantine past and from all the populations which preceded the arrival of the different Turks, and soyes les Turks bienvenue dans l Europe!

Great CD! Love Jordi Saval and his group. The cd arrived in good order and plays perfectly. I was impressed by the swiftness of the order.

I’m new to music from this part of the world so I can’t tell how authentic it is but I will say it’s very enjoyable.

Savall and his colleagues have done it again: this is a fascinating collection of music that is not generally heard, from a cultural frontier between Europe and Asia. The sounds are unusual but also very engaging and attractive. Don't think of this as music for 'specialists' because it can be enjoyed by anyone with an open ear and an enquiring mind.

As we expand our collection of ancient and choral works, this one gives us something with different instrumentation and from a region we are just beginning to explore.

Jordi Savall really nails it for what I've been looking for with the music on this cd. I'm always looking for music that sounds like it came from 2,000 years ago and I have just loved how Jordi Savall accomplishes this. I love ancient music and bellydancing: this cd is an answer to both of those. His music is time and time again beautiful. I love listening to this cd when I'm meditating, driving, bellydancing, sleeping, etc. Definitely worth the $18 especially with how difficult it is to find an available way to purchase his cds in the U.S. If you like Jordi, I would also recommend his other cds and his daughter, Arianna. Gorgeous voice and musical talent with her as well.

Delightful album. Jordi Savall has produced some wonderful albums of Mid Eastern music and this one is not a disappointment. I like all types of music and this is particularly enjoyable. Great for sitting back, relaxing and sipping Turkish coffee. Definitely recommend for anyone into this genre.

I just love this recording, unconditionally.I am a relatively late comer to the marvellous series of Alia Vox recordings of Jordi Savall, in which he offers eclectic historic, ethnic and world music collections with the Hesperion XXI- and other- groups. But now I have now grown seriously addicted!This recent addition to the series - Instanbul, Dmitrie Cantemir and the Book of the Science of Music- sounds like a bit of a musicological nightmare, does it not? Wrong!If I were to try to describe this recording with one word, that would probably be `impeccable' - sonically, musically and musicologically.At the time of Cantemir, around 1670 to 1720, the Ottoman Empire had reached a cultural highpoint, before its eventual stagnation, decay and collapse. Crucially,, it was open to a variety of civilisations and religions, with its music in particular open to strong Armenian and Sephardic traditions; after their expulsion from Spain in 1492, many Jews had settled in this relatively tolerant society.This SACD offers music from this cultural melting pot: - often it is strange, bewitching and hypnotic, but it is never less than interesting. The playing, including that of many Turkish masters, is impeccable.As with all the later DSD Alia Vox recordings I have heard this far, the sound from the SACD layers is quite beautiful; spacious, detailed, natural and refined.There are two more aspects I must mention. This is clearly a labour of love, with a lush and informative multi-lingual booklet, beautifully researched and presented. In fact, this is relatively restrained; double or triple sets in this series are often presented in lavish books. Someone really cares about these recordings, evidently!Lastly, this recording is a musical journey, and -as in many journeys - you often learn something about distant and strange cultures. No bad thing, that! In fact, the whole Savall `project' strikes me as an ear-opening journey through ancient, world and ethnic music.If you have any interest in expanding your musical horizons, therefore, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to you.

My wife bought this for me originally and it has become one of my favourite CDs. it's extraordinarily atmospheric, very subtle and very high musicianship. If you are interested in Middle Eastern influence on Western music then its for you (it's affected my Jazz improvisation a lot as well). I bought this copy for a friend who particularly likes and understand oud music.

I'm not an expert on anything but this transports me to another plane. A friend, listening with me one evening, said "it all sounds the same". I have to say that I hadn't noticed; I was floating.

Not possible to treat it as a product, I mean the music, no review is needed. But as product : CD itself, quality of sound, booklet all of them on the highest level.

personal entertainment, record is magnificent