Armenian Exhibition at Museo Correr

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On Wednesday is going to open at the Museo Correr - Museo Archeologico an Exhibition about "Armenia: Signs of Civilization" . The Exhibition has been organised by Gabriella Uluhogian, Boghos Levon Zekiyan e Vartan Karapetian and will show about 200 exhibits including some very rare ones! The exhibition will mark the fifth centenary of the first book printed in the Armenian language. This exhibition will act as the official launch of the jubilee celebrations taking place in the Armenian capital Yerevan, a UNESCO World Book Capital for 2012. The history of the island and of the Mekhitarists order in Venice is really interesting.I am really looking forward to go to the Press Preview but for the time being here is a photograph from S Lazzaro degli Armeni, one of my favourite islands of the all lagoon not only for its beauty and tranquillity but for special moments shared in fascinating and interesting conversation with Padre Elia.

VENICE, ITALY - AUGUST 14: A general view of the cloister of the Monastery on the day when a solemn Mass is held for the celebration of the Assumption at the Armenian monastery of San Lazzaro on August 14, 2011 in Venice, Italy. The Armenian Monastery is based on San Lazzaro which is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon lying immediately west of the Lido it is completely occupied by the monastery, founded around 1707, is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order, the island is one of the world's foremost centers of Armenian culture (Marco Secchi)

Kunqu Opera in Venice

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VENICE, ITALY - JULY 29: Luo Chenxue from the Kunqu Opera of Jiangsu performs at Teatro Goldoni on July 29, 2011 in Venice, Italy. Kunqu Opera, now under the Unesco patronage, originated in the Jiangsu province, dating back to the early Ming dinasty. With a history of more than six hundred years, Kunqu Opera is a traditional type of Chinese drama and one of the most ancient opera forms in China and in the world. (Marco Secchi/Getty Images) Luo Chenxue from the Kunqu Opera of Jiangsu performs at Teatro Goldoni on July 29, 2011 in Venice, Italy. Kunqu Opera, now under the Unesco patronage, originated in the Jiangsu province, dating back to the early Ming dinasty. With a history of more than six hundred years, Kunqu Opera is a traditional type of Chinese drama and one of the most ancient opera forms in China and in the world.

Image Gallery is here

Galata Mevlevi Ensemble...under the sign of Rumi!

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The Galata Mevlevi Music and Sema Ensemble, under the direction of Al Sheik Nail Kesova, brings to audiences around the world the beauty and spirituality of the Sema, the Mevlevi whirling ritual, and the tradition of Mevlevi music. The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey were proclaimed as a Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. The "Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" Programme was launched by UNESCO in 1997 to raise public awareness about the value of the intangible elements of heritage and the need to safeguard them .For more than 700 years, the Mevlevi brotherhood defined the spiritual life of the Ottoman Empire. Sufism, and especially the Mevlevis, gave birth to well known poets, musicians, theologians and politicians. Travelers to the Orient noticed the Mevlevis mainly because of their “Sema“, the ritual whirling dance. The brotherhood of the Whirling Dervishes became familiar worldwide as the symbol of oriental mysticism.

 

VENICE, ITALY - JUNE 21: A whirling Dervish of the Galata Mevlevi Ensemble,declared UNESCO World Heritag, perfoms under the guidance of Sheikh Nail Kesova at Auditorium Candiani on June 21, 2011 in Venice, Italy. The whirling dance associated with Dervishes, is the practice of the Mevlevi Order in Turkey, and is part of a formal ceremony known as the Sema which is only one of the many Sufi ceremonies performed to try to reach religious ecstasy (Marco Secchi)

 

The Galata Mevlevi Music and Sema Ensemble is very much part of the so called avant-garde tradition of the brotherhood. Sheik Nail Kesova has composed a number of liturgical pieces for the group. In collaboration with Asian and western musicians and orchestras, they have created new interpretations of traditional oriental and mystic compositions. Perhaps one of the most important activities of the group has been to continue the tradition of the Mevlevi Order to educate young, talented musicians in the sophisticated art of classical mystic music, in addition to bringing the haunting beauty of the whirling ritual, the Sema, to people throughout the world.

More images are in my Galleries or at  Getty Images

For bookings Contact in Italy Paolo Sgevano  HERE For the Rest of the World Birgit Hellinghaus  HERE