Apr 24
Cappella Romana presents: Twilight of Byzantium: The Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia and the West and the Twilight of the Eastern Roman Empire
On 29 May 1453, the city of Constantinople fell after a two month siege by the Ottoman Turks. This event brought to an end the political legacy of the Roman Empire in the East, and it concluded more than a century of efforts to revitalize the fortunes of Byzantium through diplomacy and dialogue with the Latin West. In this program, Cappella Romana explores the musical soundscape of this period through their performance of selections from the liturgy of Hagia Sophia, contemporary Orthodox and Latin chant, and lamentations prepared especially to respond to this dramatic world event. This concert and brief residency complement a course dedicated to a deep, historical understanding of the Fall, its context, causes, and consequences.
Founded in 1991, Cappella Romana’s name refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople (“New Rome”) and its Slavic commonwealth. Flexible in size according to the demands of the repertory, Cappella Romana has a special commitment to mastering the Slavic and Byzantine musical repertories in their original languages, thereby making accessible to the general public two great musical traditions that are little known in the West.
The ensemble is based in Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. More information about Cappella Romana may be found here.