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Lalezar Ensemble 
Summary
The Lalezar Ensemble is a musical ensemble which performs Ottoman classical music. It is based in Istanbul, and is "spearheading" the revival of Ottoman music.[1]
Female vocalist Selma Sagbas stands in for the male castrati who were traditional from the 16th-19th centuries while the kanun, a Turkish board zither, is also featured.[2]
Releases edit
They released a four volume series on the Traditional Crossroads label:
- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 1 - Sultan Composers
- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 2 - Music of the Dancing Boys
- Consisting of songs sung originally sung by köçek dancers, cross-dressed young male entertainers.[4]
- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 3 - Minority Composers
- Consisting of songs and pieces composed by Armenian, Greek, and Jewish composers, including relatively recent pieces.[5]
- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 4 - Ottoman Suite
In collaboration with Lalezar, Armenian-American musician Harold Hagopian spent three years to mix, annotate, and package the four volume series, causing the ensemble to increase their repertoire of pieces by Armenian composers.[7]
Sources edit
- ^ "Lalezar: Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 4 - Ottoman Suite", AllMusic.com.
- ^ "Lalezar: Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 2 - Music of the Dancing Boys", AllMusic.com.
- ^ "Lalezar - Music of the Sultans, Sufis, and Seraglio Vol. I - Sultan Composers", TraditionalCrossroads.com.
- ^ "Lalezar - Music of the Sultans, Sufis, and Seraglio Vol. II - Music of the Dancing Boys Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine", TraditionalCrossroads.com.
- ^ "Lalezar - Music of the Sultans, Sufis, and Seraglio Vol. III - Minority Composers", TraditionalCrossroads.com.
- ^ "Lalezar - Music of the Sultans, Sufis, and Seraglio Vol. IV - Ottoman Suite", TraditionalCrossroads.com.
- ^ (Jul 7, 2001). Billboard, Vol. 113, No. 27.
Further reading edit
- (2001). The Wire, Issues 203-208, p. 82.