In the “Fall of Constantinople,” Cappella Romana explores the musical legacy of the ancient civilization of Byzantium–caught between Latin West and Islamic East–with majestic ceremonies for the cathedral of Hagia Sophia, triumphant assertions of superiority by Westerners, and fervent prayers for the healing of religious divisions. Fabled Byzantium ended with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks on 29 May 1453, inspiring the two poignant laments sung here that give Greek and Latin perspectives on the end of a 1,000-year-old empire.

This recording features Cappella Romana’s most in-demand program, of Byzantine Chant and Polyphony c. 1453 and motets by Guillaume Dufay Directed by Alexander Lingas.