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Alla Turca - Music from Turkey

A true pivot between East and West, Turkey has long since been a land of meetings and fruitful artistic exchanges. The musical panorama that one can see there today reflects the diversity of its population, as much as the ups and downs of an eventful history. Ancient music, spiritual and skilful, marked with the stamp of Sufism; popular rural expressions that are associated with parties and dance; communal traditions, linked to mystical and political currents of the Alevi or minorities such as the Gypsies of Istanbul; the forms of this musical mosaic are beyond number and this festival will only present a few examples.

The selection was put together with care, destined to represent not only the diversity of genres and occasions but also a palette of artists with exceptional talents, some of whom are largely recognised, others who are known only in small circles. Invigorated by each composer who embraces modernity, the old traditions of Turkey remain a source of constant renewal, in keeping with the challenges of the contemporary world, but always in the manner of Alla Turca ...

Laurent Aubert
(translated by Emma Johnson)