Concerto Köln/Sarband: The Waltz: Ecstasy and Mysticism

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Concerto
Contents: Mozart: Sechs Deutsche Tänze K. 571; Dede Efendi: Three Semais & excerpts from "Ferahfeza Mevlevi Ayin" (Ritual of the Whirling Mevlevi Dervishes); Lanner: Pesther-Wälzer, Die Osmanen; Abdi Efendi: Sevdim yine bir nev-civan; Beethoven: Zwölf Deutsche Tänze WoO 8 (excerpts); Cantemir: Three Semais; Johann Strauss, Sr.: Kettenbrücke-Wälzer.
Meline Toumani wrote in the New York Times: "The album showcases delightful waltz compositions by Turkish composer like the dervish chief Dede Efendi … alongside popular dances by Beethoven, Mozart and others" ("A Bridge of Sound across a Cultural Ravine," 8/6/06).
From the notes by Vladimir Ivanoff, founding director of Sarband: "[I]n the years around 1800 in particular … Turkish composers were influenced by European culture. … In contrast to the quick waltzes of Europe, the 3/4 metre tended to be transformed by Turkish composers into a slower tempo and thus provided the basis for reflective and even religious compositions. As part of the ritual of the whirling dervishes, the European waltz thereby gained entry into Muslim mysticism."