About the album

The Heart of Europe - Corona Regni Poloniae - 1500 - 1750 is a new CD lanced by Ëvoe Records.

Main goal of this album is to present rare music of Central Europe during 250 years of late Renaissance and Baroque era, especially focusing on the cultural exchange between Ottoman Turkey and Occidental Europe. In this context Poland (in latin Corona Regni Poloniae) is presented as The Heart of Europe being culturally linked with those different worlds. The topic of the CD concentrates around the date of the biggest battles between christianity and islam which took place in Vienna in 1683.

Fascinating personality and key person in this story is Wojciech Bobowski - (in Turkey called Ali Ufki ) who represented both cultures and connected their music. The other interesting composers appearing in this album are Johannes de Lublin, Gorczycki, Zielenski, Mielczewski, Klosseman. You can listen also to great Battalia by Biber, and Turcaria by Fux in new exciting arrangements with much bigger instrumentation. The salt and pepper of this CD is of course instruments typical for ottoman culture such as ney or santur.

The CD is recorded by Il Giardino d’Amore orchestra and choir in cooperation with Tempus and Trombastic Ensembles.
The diversity of genres and the compositions of the CD is a great advantage blending smoothly sacred and secular music with popular and court dances.

We would like to encourage our listeners to explore more about this fascinating music and history. We hope that curiosity will bring new discoveries and new presentations soon. The CD is an incredible adventure for the musicologists, music lovers, and great fun for the whole families with young members, especially enjoying the dynamic rhythms, and original colorful melodies of past times and kingdoms.