القدس
·
Jerusalem · ירושלים
/ Pera Ensemble, Mehmet C. Yeşilçay
The city of pilgrimage for Jews, Christians and Muslims
pera-ensemble.com
medieval.org
glossamusic.com
GCD 923515
2018
C
1.
אדֲוןֹ הסַלְּיִחותֹ ·
Adon Haslihot [2:29] Anonymous • MEK
2. Palästinalied [3:24]
Walter von der VOGELWIDE (1170-1230) • instrumental
3. Morenica [5:34] Anonymous • MEK
ALFONSO X el SABIO (1221-1284)
4. Des oge mais [2:20]
CSM 1 • ISE
5. Por nos de dulta tirar [3:50]
CSM 18 • FLM, FM
6. Anonymous [3:03]
surah as-Saff 61:13
سورة الصف • ISE
Neva Çeng-i Harbi • instrumental
7.
יאורו ליבי
ye’oru libbi / Nühüft Yürük Semai [5:33]
Yeuda & Ebu BEKIR AĞA • ISE
8. Stabat Mater [6:59]
Giovanni Felice SANCES (1600-1679) • FLM
9. Gagliarda norsina [1:57]
Salomone ROSSI (1570-1630) • instrumental
10. Dirindin, from Il Sant’Alessio [2:08]
Stefano LANDI (1587-1639) • FLM, FM
Carlo PALLAVICINO (1630-1688), from Gerusalemme liberata
11. Sinfonia* [2:44] instrumental
12. In amor* [4:27] FLM
13. Beltà*, from Il Giustino [1:44]
Giovanni LEGRENZI (1626-1690) • FM
14. Ahi! Come quella, from Sedecia [6:10]
Antonio CALDARA (1670-1736) • FM
15. Maoz-Tzur [0:46] Anonymous • MEK
16. Della vita [1:18]
Benedetto MARCELLO (1686-1739) • FM
17. Gazel (vocal improvisation) [6:51] Anonymous • ISE
18. Scherzano, from Rinaldo [3:15]
Georg Friedrich HÄNDEL (1685-1759) • FLM, FM
19. Halleluya avdei adonai [2:41] Anonymous • MEK
* World premiere recordings | All arrangements by Mehmet C. Yeşilçay
Pera Ensemble
Mehmet C. Yeşilçay
Michal Elia Kamal — hebrew chant (Jerusalem) • MEK
Ibrahim Suat Erbay — sufi chant (Istanbul) • ISE
Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli — soprano (Milan) • FLM
Filippo Mineccia — countertenor (Florence) • FM
Mehmet C. Yeşilçay — oud, medieval lute & colascione
Massimiliano Toni — harpsichord
Serkan Mesut Halili — kanun
Volkan Yilmaz — ney
Derya Türkan — kemençe
Dmitry Lepekhov — Margherita Pupulin, violins
Maria Pache — viola
Elisabeth Ragaller — nyckelharpa
Felix Stross — cello
Rüdiger Kurz — double bass
Daniel Zapico — theorbo & baroque guitar
Ozan Pars, Joss Turnbull — percussion
Recorded at Stadthalle Heidelberg (Germany) on 30 & 31 March 2017
Recording producer: Michael Sandner (SWR)
Recording engineer: Robert Müller (SWR)
Editing: Michael Sandner, Boris Kellenbenz (SWR)
Executive producers: Dr. Michael Gassmann (Heidelberger Frühling),
Dr. Kerstin Unseld (SWR), Michael Sawall (note 1)
Translations: Susanne Lowien (DEU, sung texts), Jason Ortmann (EnG, essay),
Andrea Friggi (EnG, sung texts), Sylvie Coquillat (FRA)
Design: Mónica Parra
Photos: Shutterstock (digipack), Heidelberger Frühling/studio visuell (booklet)
Co-production Heidelberger Frühling with Südwestrundfunk SWR
℗ © 2018 note 1 music gmbh
Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Bimmler and Dr. Michael Gassmann
In memoriam Prof. Şehvar Beşiroğlu
Jerusalem
Many cultures have met here since ancient times; the
Holy City for Jews, Christians and Muslims, founded
by the Prophet David. The three monotheistic religions,
which can be traced back to the common
prophet Abraham, have been at war here, but have
also often lived together in peace. The first temple of
David’s son Salomon, built around 960 BC, was then
destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
in 586 BC. After the conquest of the city, the
Persian king Kyros allowed the rebuilding of the temple
and the city until the sanctuary was destroyed by
the Roman emperor Titus in 70 AD. This was followed
by Roman rule for 600 years. A new religion is born
from Judaism, the prophesied Messiah Jesus gathers
his disciples around him. The birth of Christianity is
linked to the story of the prophet Jesus, his ordeal,
the crucifixion. Jesus drives the moneychangers out
of the temple, the Lord’s Supper takes place in
Jerusalem, as well as the crucifixion and the tomb of
Jesus are in the city of Jerusalem. Christians believe
that, three days later, Jesus rose again and appeared
to his disciples. His tomb as a place of crucifixion. The
Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Basilica) was commissioned
by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine about
300 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. Later, the church was
protected by the Ottomans, who settled the disputes
between the Christian denominations and divided
the church between the parties. The Muslim family
Joudeh has been preserving the key to the church of
the Holy Sepulchre for about 800 years to prevent disputes
among Christians. It is reported that Sultan
Saladin’s (1137-1193) methods were introduced here.
In 637, the city was besieged by the Arabs and then
ruled by Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids and the
Turkish Seljuks.
In 1095 the Pope Urban II (1035-1099) announces
the First Crusade and Jerusalem is conquered by the
Crusaders in 1098. The motto of the Crusades is Deus
lo vult, “God wants it”. Ecclesiastics, knights, adventurers,
criminals and peasants went to war against the
Gentiles for the remission of sins. A bloody conquest
ensued, in which all non-Christians were murdered in
the city. It is reported that in Maara, Syria, the lower
classes themselves did not shy away from cannibalism
because of food shortages and hunger in the
Christian army. Albert von Aachen, a contemporary
chronicler, writes: “Ours not only did not shy away
from eating killed Turks and Saracens, but they also
ate dogs.” These brutal events left a traumatic impression
on the inhabitants of the Middle East, the Jews,
Muslims and even the Oriental Christians, who were
not exactly treated as brothers of faith. Further crusades
followed.
Many epics, songs and legends about glorious
knights such as Tankred, Gottfried von Bouillion, the
Protector of the Holy Sepulchre were composed. The
Gerusalemme Liberata by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595)
tells heroic knightly stories from a Christian point of
view about the Crusades, which served as a model for
many baroque operas (e.g. Handel’s Rinaldo or
Gluck’s Armida).
Saladin Eyyubi (1137-1193) conquered the city
with his army in 1187 and became a mythical figure
among Muslims. After the conquest of the city and
subsequent wars against Richard Lionheart, the visit
of Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem was guaranteed
by Saladin as part of the ceasefire. For Muslims,
Jerusalem is the third most important holy city after
Mecca and Medina. The Muslims prayed towards
Jerusalem in the early years, which was later
changed by a Koran revelation towards Mecca.
Miraj, the nocturnal ascension of the Prophet
Muhammad, accompanied by the Archangel
Gabriel, where he ascended to heaven from the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where he met the
Jewish prophet and Jesus. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and
the Dome of the Rock, the most famous and oldest
monumental sacral building, stands on the Temple
Mount and was built around 690 AD. It is now
thought that Dante Alighieri, in his Divine Comedy,
drew a picture of the world that comes close to the
ascension of the Prophet Muhammad. Most likely,
Dante had read Latin translations of works by
Islamic mystics, such as Ibn Arabi, about the ascension.
new findings also show that Goethe refers to
the Ascension in the second part of his tragedy
Faust. Goethe studied Islam throughout his life and
it became evident that he referred to fundamental
positions of Islam in his works.
With the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the
Ottomans became the focus of world history.
Expansion efforts to the west to Vienna would later
bring not only the “Turkish fear” but also the “Alla
Turca”, the Turkish fashion, to Europe. The empire of
the ruler over the believers extends over three continents.
Thus in 1516, under Sultan Selim I, Jerusalem
was also conquered. In 1917, during the First World
War, the mayor handed the city over to the British
without a fight to prevent the destruction of the historical
sites. Four hundred years of Ottoman rule represented
a great influence of Ottoman culture in this
part of the world.
In 1493, the Ottomans under Bajazet II – there is
even an opera by Vivaldi entitled Bajazet – welcomed
the Sephardic Jews expelled by King Ferdinand II and
Queen Isabella I from Spain into their empire. The
Sultan had a decree published in which the Jews
were welcomed throughout the empire, and so
many persecuted Jews could emigrate from Europe
to the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul, the capital of the
empire, has been a cosmopolitan city since the
Byzantines, where many cultures and religions met
and lived.
Among Ottoman leaders, the vezirs, were also
many Christians and Jews, such as Gazanfer Aga (a
Venetian) who ascended from court page to closest
adviser and friend of Sultan Selim, and Kiliç Ali, a
Calabrian who was Admiral of the Sultan at the time
of Süleyman the Magnificent (1494-1566) and ruled
over the waters of the Mediterranean.
* * *
So what does Jerusalem mean to us Christians, Jews
and Muslims? We cannot answer this question so simply,
especially in light of the fact that political conditions
and developments are making it more and more
difficult for us to find a peaceful solution around the
status of Jerusalem. What remains clear however is
that for several centuries the three world religions
have been living closely together, enjoying the same
cuisine and connecting through music. Although
inter-religious dialogue is a modern term, it is lived in
Jerusalem. A melting pot of cultures and religions, the
city of peace despite the crises and conflicts in the
Middle East. We must build bridges to overcome the
supposed opposites. Two things make conversation
easier: food and music.
Just as Oriental cuisine draws on many spices and
exotic ingredients, the Pera Ensemble tries to incorporate
various ingredients and stylistic devices into its
programme and concerts – Jewish piyutim, oriental
sounds in the baroque sound image, music from
medieval Spain, baroque music, Jewish and oriental
music, turqueries. We research and excavate lost works
from libraries, transcribed and edited from manuscripts
and other written sources. Forgotten works,
such as Pallavicino’s Gerusalemme liberata, were discovered
by us and recorded here as a world premiere.
In times when religion is exploited for political
purposes and when religious fanaticism serves to
divide societies, it is particularly important not to
leave the field to those who try to divide and provoke.
The majority are the others! – those who stand for
peaceful and harmonious coexistence. Judaism,
Christianity, Islam: A common basis. Their common
prophet David is a central focus and bridge between
the spiritual traditions. The combination of the different
religious soundscapes leads to a surprising and
extraordinary musical event.
The tenor: the common metaphysical experience.
The focus for the different musical directions is
always the same: a musical credo – without borders
and confessions.
Shalom, Pax, Selam.
Mehmet C. Yeşilçay
Comments on the pieces
1
Anonymous.
Adon Haslihot אדֲוןֹ הסַלְּיִחותֹ
A prayer recited during Yom Kippur.
2
Walter von der Vogelweide.
Palästinalied
Walter von der Vogelweide is regarded as the most
important poet of the Middle Ages. The first crusade
(1096-1099), proclaimed by Pope Urban II with the
words Deus lo vult (God wants it), was followed by six
others. During Walter’s lifetime, the crusades were
immediately taking place (Fourth Crusade 1202,
Constantinople, Jerusalem). This is an instrumental
version.
3
Anonymous.
Morenica
In 1494, the Moors and the Sephardic Jews were
expelled from Spain and Portugal. The Reconquista
and the Inquisition began. With a decree from the
Sultan Bajazet II (1448-1512), the Ottoman Empire
welcomed the homeless Jews, who brought their
medieval songs in Ladino into the Muslim empire and
to Jerusalem. The largest Sephardic community in the
Ottoman Empire was in Thessaloniki, then referred to
as the Balkan Jerusalem.
4 | 5
Alfonso X el Sabio.
Des oge mais |
Por nos de dulta tirar
Alfonso X el Sabio (1221-1284) (the Wise) was king
of Castile and León and counter-king of the Holy
Roman Empire. The Cantigas de Santa María (CSM)
were collected in his name over the course of the
13th century, and today they are one of the largest
collections of songs of praise of the Virgin Mary of the
Middle Ages. The Cantigas also stand for the golden
age in Spain, where Christians, Muslims and Jews in
the Al Andalus of the Moors from 711 to 1492 represented
a light in the darkness of the Middle Ages: a
heyday of science, culture and art, tolerance and dialogue
between the religions.
6
Anonymous.
Surah as-Saff 61:13 |
Neva Çeng-i Harbi
Attack march of the Sultan’s elite troops, the
Janissaries, in the 16th century. The music of the
Janissaries was imitated in many marches from the
Baroque to Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. This piece is
from the collection of the Polish Wojciech Bobowski
(1610-1675). Abducted from his homeland by invading
Tatars, he was sold as a slave at the High Gate in
Istanbul. There he worked as a musician, interpreter
and later, after his dismissal as a slave, also as a consultant
for European diplomats, for whom he, as a facilitator
of the Ottoman culture, contributed to better
understanding. He also educated Europeans in oriental
languages. His most important language students
include Antoine Galland (1646-1715), who first translated
the Thousand and One nights into a European
language, and the diplomat and orientalist François
Mesgnien (Meninski). He converted to Islam and
henceforth called himself Ali Ufkî. With his collection of
compositions from his time and his own works, he
found his place in the hearts of lovers of Turkish music.
7
Yeuda & Ebu Bekir Aga.
Ye’oru libbi / Nühüft Yürük Semai
The Sephardic Jews in Istanbul adopted courtly
Turkish music and added Hebrew texts, which were
then sung in the synagogues. Here is a mix of the
Hebrew copy with the original by Ebu Bekir Aga, a
17th-century composer. nühüft is the name for the
Maqam mode. From 1516 until the First World War,
Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. Even
today, Oriental music is still an important part of
Jerusalem’s culture. not only the music, but also the
Mediterranean oriental cuisine is a beautiful example
of Levantine culture. Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus,
Baghdad and Istanbul were virtually indistinguishable
from each other in cultural terms.
8
Giovanni Felice Sances.
Stabat Mater
The Stabat Mater is a medieval poem that tells the
story of Mary Mother of Jesus. It served as a model for
many composers like Scarlatti and Pergolesi. In
between, you can hear an improvisation of the ney
pipe flute. This bamboo flute is the most important
instrument in sacred Islamic music, the Sufi music. It
embodies the soul of man and the separation from
the Creator. Mother Mary has a special place in the
Quran (the Surah 21 bears her name) “O Mary, behold,
God has chosen and purified you and chosen you
before the women of the worlds.” (Surah 3:42)
9
Salomone Rossi.
Gagliarda norsina
Rossi came from a Jewish family in Mantua and was
a close friend of Claudio Monteverdi. He was the first
to compose sacred music in Hebrew for the synagogue.
numerous instrumental works were published
during his lifetime. He was probably assassinated
during anti-Semitic riots in the Mantua ghetto.
This piece is an example of Jewish life in Italy, where
music and art flourished in the early Baroque period.
10
Stefano Landi.
Dirindin (from: Il Sant’Alessio)
Landis’ career begins in childhood as a boy soprano
in Rome. The cheerful folkloric song Dirindin comes
from the opera Il Sant’Alessio. This opera is about a
historical theme from the 5th century: The holy Sant’
Alessio returns to Rome from the Holy Land and leads
the life of a beggar. This role was sung by the castrato
Marco Pasqualini at the premiere in 1631.
11 | 12
Carlo Pallavicino (from: Gerusalemme liberata).
Sinfonia | In amor
Gerusalemme liberata (The Liberated Jerusalem) by
Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) is a glorified representation
of the First Crusade and served as a model for
numerous operas (including Handel’s Rinaldo).
In the aria, the sorceress Armida attempts to use
magic to lead astray the knight Rinaldo, whom she
loves.
13
Giovanni Legrenzi.
Beltà (from: Il Giustino)
Il Giustino (Venice, 1683) is Giovanni Legrenzi’s most
successful opera. The pseudo-historical drama takes
place in the imperial palace in Constantinople, the
capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and was also set
to music by Vivaldi, among others.
14
Antonio Caldara.
Ahi! Come quella (from: Sedecia)
Antonio Caldara’s oratorio Sedecia Re di Gerusalemme
(Sedecia, King of Jerusalem) deals with the Old
Testament material about Sedecia, who is blinded by
the Babylonian ruler nebuchadnezzar. Originally composed
for salterio (dulcimer) and voice, this performance
features a qanun, a type of oriental boxed zither.
15
Anonymous.
Maoz-Tzur
Maoz-Tzur is a medieval folk song from the German
Jews who brought this song to Italy.
16
Benedetto Marcello.
Della vita
Benedetto Marcello used the melody of the song
Maoz-Tzur as a model for his aria Della vita. Marcello
included this piece in Hebrew script as Intonazione
degli Ebrei Tedesci sopra in his collection of psalms
Estro poetico-armonico.
17
Anonymous.
Gazel (vocal improvisation)
The improvisation of vocals and instruments is an
essential part of Ottoman music. Here, you can hear a
symbiosis that would certainly have pleased Ali Ufkî:
vocal improvisations set to a bass line from Monteverdi’s
Lamento della Ninfa.
18
Georg Friedrich Händel.
Scherzano (from: Rinaldo)
Another crusade theme, whose libretto was written
by Giacomo Rossi.
19
Anonymous.
Halleluya avdei adonai
In conclusion, a Jewish Yemeni Haleluya.
