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For Immediate Release Banff Centre hosts the Gryphon Trio in world premiere of Christos Hatzis’s Constantinople
Six years in the making, Constantinople by acclaimed Canadian composer Christos Hatzis will premiere at The Banff Centre on July 29 in the Eric Harvie Theatre. A ground-breaking work of music theatre, Constantinople combines the talents of the Juno Award-winning Gryphon Trio, renowned soprano Patricia O’Callaghan, and Arabic vocalist Maryem Tollar, in a visual feast of state-of-the-art multimedia effects and innovative staging. Commissioned by the Gryphon Trio, Constantinople uses music, electronic sound, movement, and visuals to explore the mystery and meaning of the ancient Ottoman city, a crossroads of traditional and contemporary societies, eastern and western cultures, the spiritual and the secular. One of North America’s outstanding chamber ensembles, the Gryphon Trio has been touring and performing for more than a decade, and has commissioned a series of new works that liberate chamber music from its traditional mold, channelling it into multimedia performance and educational programs of great diversity. Constantinople is their most ambitious commission so far, and has been steadily and thoughtfully developed since Hatzis composed the first version in 1998. The Trio first performed music from Constantinople at an enthusiastically received concert in 2000, as part of the Music Toronto chamber music series, and has since performed various movements at concerts throughout Europe and North America. The work first came to The Banff Centre in 2002 for an intensive development workshop. When Constantinople returns to Banff for its premiere on July 29, its full multimedia staging will be shared with the public for the first time. Collaborating with the Gryphon Trio will be outstanding Canadian soprano Patricia O’Callaghan, who has been attracting critical acclaim for her recent CD release, Naked Beauty; and Arabic vocalist Maryem Tollar, born in Cairo, who regularly performs with the groups Doula and Maza Meze, as well as leading the Maryem Tollar Group, which draws its inspiration from traditional Arabic repertoire. Winner of the Jean Chalmers National Music Award, the Jules Leger Prize, and the 1996 Prix Italia Special Prize, Christos Hatzis is increasingly recognized and celebrated on the international music scene. He divides his time between composing and a full-time teaching appointment with the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto. Hatzis’s musical language is marked by a boundless energy and a curiosity about all forms of creative expression. A thread which runs through much of his recent work is an interest in the places in time and space where culture and religion intersect, particularly in pre-Christian spiritual traditions. After its debut in Banff, Constantinople will be staged in October in Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt, and co-produced by Tapestry New Opera in Toronto in November. Tickets for the Banff Summer Arts Festival are available at The Banff Centre Box Office at 1-800-413-8368 or (403) 762-6301, or at box_office@banffcentre.ca. —30— Complete schedule of Banff Summer Arts Festival Events. Print-ready, downloadable images of Constantinople. Media Contact
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