A salutary allegory for our own troubled times, Constantinople weaves together threads from East-West, sacred-secular, past-present, real-mythical, high art-popular culture and much more. The strength of its underlying message is reinforced by the way Christos Hatzis challenges our expectation that its music belongs in one genre or another. The piece refuses to be categorised as song cycle, cantata, chamber music or opera. Elements of the work have taken on a life of their own outside its ultimate performance as a piece of music theatre. The music of Constantinople is like a mosaic in which Hatzis juxtaposes bright colours of urban gospel with mediaeval chant, a 19th century Sufi song with bluegrass, Cretan folksong with viol-like writing, and – most exuberantly in Old Photographs– a piece of solemn parlour music with the raunchiest of tangos.

1. Creeds

2. Kyrie

3. Odd World

4. Ah Kalleli

5. Dance of the Dictators

6. On Death and Dying

7. Old Photographs

8. Alleluia