1001 Nights joins Ottoman and Mannheim worlds in a period-instrument programme shaped by storytelling, exchange and refined instrumental colour.

1001 Nights - Sheherazade and the Power of Storytelling is an evocative cross-cultural programme that explores the enduring legacy of storytelling as both artistic inspiration and cultural bridge. Performed by the Berlin-based ensemble Les Salonnières, this recording traces a rich dialogue between Eastern and Western musical traditions, drawing on sources that span Ottoman court music and the refined chamber culture of 18th-century Europe.

At the conceptual core lies the frame narrative of One Thousand and One Nights, a symbol of resilience, intellect, and the transformative power of narrative. The album reflects the historical moment when this body of stories entered European consciousness through Antoine Galland's influential 18th-century translation, sparking a widespread fascination with the 'Orient' that shaped literature, visual art, and music alike. Rather than presenting this influence as a one-directional exoticism, the programme highlights the deeper, reciprocal exchanges that informed both traditions.

Central to this dialogue is the figure of Ali Ufki (Wojciech Bobowski), a 17th-century polymath and cultural mediator who transcribed Ottoman music into Western notation, preserving a vast repertoire that might otherwise have been lost. His works, drawn from the Mecmûa-i Sâz ü Söz, anchor the programme with authentic material from the Ottoman tradition. These pieces are set alongside chamber works by composers associated with the Mannheim court--Johann Stamitz, Johann Baptist Wendling, Ignaz Holzbauer, and Ignaz Fränzl--whose musical environment was shaped by cosmopolitan influences and an openness to new sonic worlds.

The result is a carefully curated musical journey that mirrors the narrative structure of storytelling itself: fragments of distant cultures, reinterpreted and reframed through new contexts. The interplay between keyed flute, baroque violin, and baroque cello creates a transparent yet expressive texture, allowing subtle stylistic contrasts to emerge while maintaining a cohesive sonic identity. Each work reflects a moment of encounter--between East and West, oral and written tradition, past and present--revealing how artistic exchange can transcend boundaries of geography and time.

Les Salonnières approach this repertoire with a strong commitment to historical performance practice, using period instruments and informed interpretive techniques to illuminate the nuances of each tradition. Their programming reflects a broader artistic vision rooted in salon culture, where music, literature, and intellectual exchange converge in intimate settings. This perspective lends the recording a sense of immediacy and narrative flow, inviting the listener into a space where music becomes both conversation and storytelling.

Recorded in May 2023 at Villa Cigola-Martinoni in Italy, the album benefits from a warm acoustic that enhances the natural timbre of the instruments. With a total runtime of just over 70 minutes, this Da Vinci Classics release offers a distinctive and intellectually engaging listening experience, positioning music as a living thread that connects cultures, histories, and human imagination.

Additional Details

Label: DA VINCI CLASSICS

Genre: Classical

Run Time: 50 mins

Release Date: 09/18/26

UPC: 746160919638