Mozaïka brings together the musical traditions from the East and West through the ages.

Dipping sometimes into traditional repertoire and at other times into the works of Western composers inspired by the East or Middle East, this recording presents a program of both previously unpublished arrangements and original compositions. Two short “musical frescoes” of a historical nature complete the picture: La porte de glace (Ice Gateway), a liberal conjuring up of the movement of the nomadic people from Asia into North America at least 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, and Caravanes (Caravans) which brings Marco Polo’s travels in the Orient back to life.

The rich blend of tones from the plucked stringed instruments—pipa (Chinese lute), lutes, guitars, bouzouki and oud—together with a musical approach distinguished by its energy and sensitivity lends Mozaïka its totally unique character.

From Brouage – his native village situated in Saintonge – to New France, travelling through Brittany, Normandy, the Paris Region, and even Spain, Samuel de Champlain was widely travelled. A daring explorer, cartographer, writer, tradesman, and diplomat, the founder of Quebec City played a fundamental role in the history of French America. Here, retold in music, is Champlain’s marvellous journey from his youth to the founding of Quebec City in 1608.

The music in A Journey through the Middle Ages – some written specifically for instruments, some adapted from vocal works – offers an overview of an astonishing repertoire from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. With its musical evocation of certain key locations (Florence, Oxford, the Court of Burgundy and the Papal Court in Avignon), historical events (the crusades) and daily life in the cities and countryside, the recording brings to life these musical treasures from the past.