Didem Basar:
Echoes of the Throne Room (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink)

Tineke Steenbrink:
Frate Vento
Angelus Bells
(Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink)
Walking in the Desert

Judith Steenbrink & Dimitrius Cantemir:
Heaven lives in the other
Judith Steenbrink:
Welcome
Lauda
Sia laudato San Francesco

Ali Ufki:
Muhayyer Semai (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink)

Kiya Tabassian:
Bood Amma Naboud (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink)
Dream of Hope (Orchestration by Judith Steenbrink)

In Dialogos, Holland Baroque and Constantinople embark on a musical journey inspired by one of history’s most remarkable encounters: the meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade in 1219. Eight centuries later, their gesture of openness and mutual respect becomes the creative spark for this collaboration a meeting not of faiths or institutions, but of human voices and mutual respect. Drawing from ancient sources such as the Laudario di Cortona and the works of the 17th-century Polish musician Ali Ufki (Wojciech Bobowski), the ensembles weave new compositions where Persian, Ottoman, and early Western Baroque traditions intertwine. Under the artistic direction of Kiya Tabassian, and Judith and Tineke Steenbrink, the music becomes a living dialogue a conversation of timbres and histories that celebrates listening over division, and resonance over conflict. Each note reflects a crossing of cultures where the old inspires the new, and where peace begins in sound. Known for their inventive reimagining of the Baroque repertoire and intercultural encounters, Holland Baroque and the Montreal-based ensemble Constantinople both thrive on collaboration and stylistic exploration. Their meeting in Dialogos continues a creative lineage that has made Holland Baroque a long-standing PENTATONE partner, following Silk Baroque, Telemann Polonoise & Brabant 1653 (2021), Minne (2022), Bachs Königin (2023), and the EP Metamorphosis (2024). Here, as in those projects, the ensemble transforms history into a contemporary message: that music is dialogue itself.

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This album was recorded at the Pieterskerk Utrecht, The Netherlands, in October 2025