Bach & Khayyam

Even if more than 600 years separate the lives of John-Sebastien Bach (1685-1750) and Omar Khayyam (1048-1131), these two geniuses were made to meet each other. Their visions of the world—as a perfect match of mathematical mastery and a profoundly high level of spirituality—bring them into a delightful dialogue and trace a clear path toward the sublime.

In this program, Constantinople brings these two artists into conversation, where the sacred and spirituality transcend borders. For this new creation, Constantinople proposes arrangements of some of Johann Sebastian Bach's most beautiful spiritual songs and arias, placed in dialogue with poems by Omar Khayyam, sung in Persian and responding to Bach's music.

Kiya Tabassian is one of today's finest setar players, a composer, and the artistic director of Constantinople, the internationally acclaimed Montreal-based ensemble renowned for its innovative dialogue between early music and global traditions. Deeply rooted in Persian classical music, he has created and performed major projects worldwide, including Bach & Khayyam.

Hana Blazikova, an exceptional Czech soprano renowned worldwide for her interpretation of Bach, sings the arias in this program, bringing unparalleled depth and emotion to the performance.