Concerts & Other Events 2014

14.03. Lord of the Horizons, Collector of Musical Worlds
Alî Ufkî / Wojciech Bobowski (Poland ca. 1610 - 1675 Turkey)
Poznán (Poland), Centrum Kultury Zamek, Kaiser Wilhelm II.  Burg, 19:30
Concert celebrating the 600th Anniversary of Polish-Turkish Diplomatic Relations. 
www.zamek.poznan.pl

17.03. Lord of the Horizons, Collector of Musical Worlds
Alî Ufkî / Wojciech Bobowski (Poland ca. 1610 - 1675 Turkey)
Warsaw (Poland), Chopin University, 19:00
Concert celebrating the 600th Anniversary of Polish-Turkish Diplomatic Relations.
www.chopin.edu.pl

05.04. Dreams of the Orient (& TriOrient)
Muscat (Oman), Royal Opera House, 19:30  
www.rohmuscat.org.om

20.04. Red Apple, Black Earth
Traditional Turkish Songs about Fruits, Fertility, Death & the Otherworld
Graz (Austria), Styrierte (Psalm 2014), Helmut-List-Halle, 19:00
www.styriarte.com/psalm

«Sarband revealed the profound sensuality of these love songs, dances and harvest chants …
accompanied by sonorous and high spirited arrangements and spectacular improvisations -
especially the bard Kemal Dinç showed entrancing encounters between Oriental scales and
Western harmony. » MW, Kronenzeitung (Austria), 22.04.2014

03.05. Sacred Bridges (& Basilius College Choir / Scherzando)
Utrecht (Netherlands), Geerte Kerk, 20:15  
www.scherzandokoor.nl

 

04.05. Sacred Bridges (& Basilius College Choir / Scherzando)
Driebergen (Netherlands). Grote Kerk, 15:00 
www.scherzandokoor.nl

15.05. The Perfect Light - Christian and Muslim Music for the Birth of Jesus and Mohammed
St. Gallen Monastery (Switzerland), Stiftsbibliothek, Bodensee-Festival, 20:00
www.bodenseefestival.de

16.05.-18.05. CD Production, G. Allegri: Miserere - Arrangement by Vladimir Ivanoff,
& Chorus Sine Nomine

Vienna (Austria), Otto Wagner Kirche 
www.gramola.at

«In a very impressive way, this CD with the "Miserere" by Gregorio Allegri, proves how contemporary Early Music
can be. Vladimir Ivanoff, a musician highly esteemed for his connections between Orient and Occident, also
director of Ensemble Sarband, arranged this composition for three choirs and saxophone.
Combined with the recording location - the unique Viennese church by Otto Wagner (1841-1918),
and with the technically exquisite recording -
this results in a vanquishing, downright mystical musical  experience.»
Rainer Aschemaier, The Listener (Germany), 28.10.2014

«In this church with its widely radiating golden dome, also the cultural horizon of Christian confession
is transcended, such as the Bulgarian master of transcultural encounters, Vladimir Ivanoff, has chosen
as the mission of his life. His task was never the exotic extravaganza for the sophisticated voyeur,
but always the subtle fusion and juxtaposition of styles, the dissolution of tradition,
the magical time leap.» Christoph Schlüren, Gramola (Austria), 01.11.2014

03.08. A West Eastern Divan (Dirk Kruse: Recitation)
Mystical Oriental Drinkung- and Love Songs and Oriental Poetry by Friedrich Rückert & J. W. v. Goethe
Fränkischer Sommer, Buchschwabach, Mühle, 19:00
www.fraenkischer-sommer.de

«Praise of drunkenness - Enchanting homage to Hafiz and Rumi - An exhilarating, downright intoxicating
experience at sunset, under the open sky, with no hangover the morning after»
Reinhald Kalb, HFN (Germany), 06.08.14

«Intoxicating poetry and timeless music created an exhilarating sound space, enriched by the twittering of birds,
swooshing of leaves and some raindrops. The composition of traditional Franconian atmosphere,
Turkish and Persian tradition and German romanticism enchanted the audience.» Jens Voskamp,
NN (Germany), 05.08.14

18.08. Sacred Bridges (& Helsinki Chamber Choir)
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Psalm Settings from the 16th & 17th centuries
Helsinki, (Finland), Helsinki Festival, University of Helsinki, 19:00
www.helsinginjuhlaviikot.fi

 


19.08.-27.08. 6th Orient meets Occident Workshop - 2014 : The Son of the Sheik
Bayreuth (Germany)
www.youngartistsbayreuth.de

«Sparkling finale: "Orient meets Occident" combines a silent movie, dance and music in a strong total experience.
If you missed this, you missed something superb: The final performance of "Orient meets Occident" …
enchanted the audience. The Europasaal is sold out, the atmosphere is terrific … And how they play!
The chamber orchestra unleashes a sumptuous abundance of colors … »
Frank Piontek, Nordbayerischer Kurier (Germany), 28.08.2014

11.09. Passio - Compassio
Bonn, Beethoven-Fest, Beethovenhalle, 20:00  
www.beethovenfest.de

«Between Orient & Occident - Concert Sarband at the Beethovenfest Bonn - Orient met Occident,
Christion Baroque music encountered Turkish and Syrian-Orthodox chants, performed by Sarband,
directed by Vladimir Ivanoff … A remarkable experiment …
The key to the successful blend was the alienation effect. And the voices of the flexible, excellent
Fadia El-Hage and Dogan Dikmen, who supported the alliance.
The result levitated between the different traditions, shaped a bridge between Orient and Occident,
summarily dissolved the boundaries between the religions and aesthetics.
Beautiful the haunting "Aljawm", with an elegant solo violin and a strong vocal performance.
The much-needed bridging worked well. Comprehension and awareness were created by music.
Quite a few could learn from this example.» Thomas Kölsch, Rheinzeitung (Germany), 16.09.2014

24.09. Sacred Bridges (& Brevis Choir & Consort, Darius Stabinkas)
Concert celebrating the 600th Anniversary of Polish-Turkish Diplomatic Relations
24.09. Vilnius (Lithuania),Banchetto Musicale Festival,
19:00 Palace of the Grand Dukes
www.bmfestival.lt


27.09. 15.05. The Perfect Light
Christian and Muslim Music for the Birth of Jesus and Mohammed
Via Mediaeval, St. Maria, Offenbach an der Glan (Germany), 20:00
www.vokalmusik-romanische-strasse.de

«Church song as a liaison between religions - Ensemble Sarband captivated the audience with Christian and Muslim chants - the German-Oriental performance by Sarband, directed by Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff, was a special treat in the program of the festival. The audience listened entranced, and allowed the ensemble only to leave home after two encores. A magical atmosphere emerged in the soft light of the abbey, which certainly also would have pleased Robin Hood, Emperor Barbarossa or Emir Saladin. The whirling dervish in the background, turning in trance, was the icing on the cake. A striking performance …» Martin Köhler, Rhein-Zeitung, 01.10.2014

«Ensemble Sarband connects Christian with Muslim music - 90 worthwhile minutes - Saturday night in the abbey, Sarband did his name proud. "Sarband" means connection. The artists not only succeeded in combining Christian and Muslim Music in a seamless way, but also connected with the audience. The applause, lasting for minutes, was the reward for the group, which took the audience on a journey of more than 1 ½ hours … A transcultural dialogue, full of respect, with music, not words. The group captivated the listeners from the first minute on …» Sven Holler, Die Rheinpfalz, 30.09.2014

16.12. Voices of Light (& Company of Music)
Viemna (Austria), Konzerthaus, 20:00