This project, which Dareyn Foundation is producing together with Muziekgebouw Productiehuis, will feature ancient European, Ottoman, and Persian music performed alongside historical soundscape reconstructions using 4D sound technology. Under the artistic direction of Emine Bostanci, the project will be premiered at Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ on the 16th of November 2025.

The project is a modern approach to historical performance, inspired by the diaries of Dutch politician Warner during his visit to the Ottoman Palace. It will take the audience on a time-travel experience, blending ancient repertoire with Turkish, Persian, and Western instruments and musical traditions. The storytelling element will be based on the diaries of diplomats whose missions were to define “others” in order to define themselves.

The concept of “defining others in order to define oneself” has historical roots that predate Orientalism. It refers to the idea that people or cultures often shape their own identity by distinguishing themselves from those they consider different or “other.” In other words, by labeling or describing what they are not (the “other”), individuals or societies come to understand and define what they are.

In this project, Emine Bostanci’s aim is to allow the audience to experience this process of definition—of connecting to their own identity while encountering the ‘other’ and going beyond it. Just as throughout history, societies have often defined themselves in contrast to what they saw as different, Emine Bostanci invites the audience to explore and reflect on how encountering the ‘other’ can illuminate their own understanding of self. This journey, blending ancient music and storytelling, will encourage introspection, self-awareness, and a deeper connection to both the familiar and the unfamiliar.

What sets this project apart is the collaboration with the 4DSound team to recreate the soundscapes of historic sites such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. This technology enables the audience to experience the specific acoustic characteristics of these ancient spaces as if they were physically present in them. For example, the reverberation, echo, and sound diffusion of Hagia Sophia’s vast domed interior can be authentically reproduced, creating an immersive auditory experience when paired with live music. For instance, listeners will be surrounded by the 14th-century acoustics of Hagia Sophia while hearing an ancient melody performed live.This unique combination of historical storytelling, ancient music, and immersive soundscapes promises to transport the audience to another time and place.