Shirvan is a historical region and was the state of the Shirvan Shahs from the 8th to 16th centuries. Right on the border between Europe and Asia, from the city of Derbent in the north to the Kura River in the south, on the west coast of the Caspian Sea. In the small Caucasus, where the great Silk Road connected West and East for 1000 years, making the two worlds communicate with each other.
The Anima Shirvani is an ensemble specializing in historical performance practice, that creates a bridge between European Renaissance and Baroque music and traditional music from Persia, the Caucasus and Anatolia. The music, which is mostly based on improvisation according to certain rules passed down orally over centuries, dates back to the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, when Europe was experiencing its cultural "resurgence". And so the idea of a "Silk Road" was born, of an ensemble, that explores and connects music from both cultures. Consisting of internationally renowned artists, the ensemble is not only dedicated to the authentic interpretation of 16th and 17th century music at the highest level. Rather, it has set itself the mission of building mutual understanding between Western and Eastern cultural societies through its projects and abolishing existing dogmas.
TURAL ISMAYILOV
SACKBUT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
As a specialist in early music, Tural Ismayilov is a regular guest at festivals such as Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht, Stockholm Early Music Festival, Bremer Musikfest, Festival Bach Montreal with ensembles such as AKAMUS Berlin, Weser Renaissance, Capella Cracoviensis, Lautten Compagney Berlin. Concerts have taken him to Moscow, Tokyo, Krakow, Taipei, Washington, Oslo, Amsterdam, Venice and Montreal. As a sought-after chamber music partner, he has taken part in over 60 CD and radio productions.
A native of Azerbaijan, he received his first violin lessons at the age of six.
After studying trombone in his home city of Baku, he continued his training as an orchestral musician at the conservatories in Münster and Hamburg and gained experience in the Baku Philharmonic Orchestra and with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra.
His passion for early music eventually led him to Bremen, where he completed postgraduate studies in baroque trombone and historical performance practice with Wim Becu.
From 2015 to 2022, Tural Ismayilov was a member of the renowned ensemble Capella de la Torre (winner of the Echo Klassik 2016, 2017, Opus Klassik 2018).
Since 2020, Tural Ismayilov has dedicated himself to his own ensemble Anima Shirvani. With his projects and their music, he is striving for understanding between different cultural societies.
Deniz Mahir Kartal was born in Istanbul in 1987.
As the multi-instrumentalist he plays Duduk, Kaval and other traditional instruments, as well as Saxophone, Clarinet, Çağlama and Guitar. Making traditional Anatolian music since the age of five, he studied Turkish Folkdance and music at the Conservatory of Istanbul Technical University. Nowadays, he is based in Berlin and works on a wide variety of projects dedicated to diverse musical genres, ranging from traditional to classical, jazz, modern and electro.
His co-operations include Babylon Orchestra, A.G.A. Trio, Cenk Erdoğan, Sarp Maden, Ah! Kosmos, Hakan Vreskala, İpek İpekoglu, Elif, Aynur Doğan, Zigan Aldi, Derya Yıldırım, Ensemble Resonanz, Volkan İncüvez, Anima Shirvani, Olcay Bayır, Taner Akyol and many others. Deniz performs his music all over Europe and Turkey.
He also writes film scores, arranges music and teaches Duduk at the University of Hildesheim. In his solo project KafaNar, he fuses traditional Anatolian music played live on his instruments with electronic beats, loops and vocals, creating a hypnotic danceable sound and a memorable live performance.
DENIZ MAHIR KARTAL - BALABAN (DUDUK), KAVAL
PEDRO ALCÀCER DORIA
THEORBE, RENAISSANCE LUTE
The lutenist Pedro Alcacer was born in Mexico City in 1982, and grew up in an artistic environment thanks to which he began at an early age with his musical training. He graduated in classical guitar at the “Escuela Nacional de Música-UNAM” and continued his studies specializing in the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire with Isabelle Villei, Eloy Cruz and
Antonio Corona. In 2006 he moved to Barcelona (Spain) where he achieved the “Professional Degree” in plucked string instruments from the Renaissance and Baroque with Xavier Diaz-Latorre at the Gerona Conservatory. Subsequently he entered the "Hochschule für Künste" in Bremen Germany where he graduated in Lute by Joachim Held and Lee Santana. Later he transferred to Italy where he continued his instrumental improvement with Evangelina Mascardi. In parallel with developing an intense professional concert activity as a soloist and as a
continuist, he collaborates with important conductors such as Gabriel Garrido, Alessandro di Marchi, Marco Mencoboni, Paolo Faldi, Riccardo Doni, Horacio Franco, Cristoph Hammer, Carlos Aranzay, among others, with concerts at high-level festivals and forums in Italy, Germany, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil and Mexico. He currently lives in Berlin where he collaborates with various realities of early music in Europe.
Dávid Budai studied viola da gamba with Hille Perl, Marianne Muller, Irene Klein and learned improvisation techniques from Martin Erhardt, Barnabé Janin and Jean-Yves Haymoz. His research focuses on early 17th century English viol literature and the development of violin ensembles during the early Baroque period. His chamber music work with PRISMA, Ensemble Weser Renaissance, among others, brings him to numerous countries in Europe, as well as to festivals such as Utrecht Oude Muziek Festival(NL), Trigonale Festival Kärnten(AT), Ambronay Festival (FR).
As a result of the COVID pandemic, he focuses on concerts in the regional environment, music education for different age groups and solo or small ensemble projects.
DAVID BUDAI
VIOLA DA GAMBA
After her studies in music pedagogy in Munich, Heidi Gröger, an Eichstätt native, studied Baroque violoncello with Jaap ter Linden and Viola da gamba with Philippe Pierlot at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 2007 she received her Master’s degree with distinction there. Scholarships such as the Huygens Foundation and First Prizes at the International Early Music Competitions in York (GB), Wassenaer (NL) and Neuburg an der Donau followed.
Her musical development was already influenced during her studies by participation in ensembles such as the Freiburg Ba- roque Orchestra, Concerto Vocale, the Berlin Baroque Soloists and Harmonie Universelle. With her own Ensemble Fleury she has recorded the Pièces de clavecin en concerts of J. P. Ra- meau for Sony Classics for the very first time on a golden viola da gamba with eight strings. For the Bavarian Radio she has recorded Diletto Musicale for viola da gamba solo by G. Thim (*1922).
In collaboration with Johannes Weiss, she has organized numerous concerts and the newly initiated Summer Courses at Castle Seehaus (Middle Franconia). Since 2011 Heidi Gröger teaches viola da gamba at the University of Music in Frankfurt am Main.
HEIDI GRÖGER
VIOLA DA GAMBA
Peter Kuhnsch was born in Nuremberg.
During his studies of percussion at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig, the variety of instruments and styles was his top priority. The
passion for hand drums from a wide variety of cultures led him to collaborations with Persian, Arabic and ancient music.
He currently performs with Lautten Compagney Berlin, Les Passions de l'Ame, Anima Shirvani and the Ajam Quartet.
Peter lives in Berlin and enjoys the abundance of music there.
