In the spirit of the album’s title “Levantera” (a strong easterly wind of the Mediterranean) East of the River explores Medieval music of Western Europe and travels eastward through the Balkans to Armenia and the Middle East, performing the earliest songs of those extraordinary cultures, together with their traditional dances – the origins of which go back centuries.
GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to early music — playing repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods.