Al Qantarah

Since ancient times, Sicilian culture has been shaken by the influence of foreign poker which often co-existed: those of Hellenic World, the Italic civilisation, the Arabic presence and finally the Norman conquest.

These intertwining influences led up to medieval times, the historical "pivot"  around which the project for this disc rotates. Thus Sicily appears as a crossroads of races, traditions, varied and often exotic ethnic roots giving it a multi-layered and cosmopolitan quality which has become even richer over the centuries and has made of  the Island a sort of bridge (in fact "Al Qantarah" is a river in eastern Sicily whose name in Arabic means "the bridge") and a unique contact point for the various foreign civilisations which have become an essential part of Sicilian territory. Sicily has adopted as its own the musical traditions and styles of Arab, Byzantine, Provencal and Norman cultures, conserving their intrinsic qualities and forms along with elements springing from the origins of Sicily itself.