Mesut Lekesiz and Hub Hildenbrand first met in September 2000. This encounter gave rise to a particularly inspired and fruitful collaboration. In 2007 the duo was augmented by the addition of the Greek percussionist Dimitris Christides.

The musicians who make up Trio Morgenland embark on a shared journey with music as their transport. They peruse the rich Bazaar of world cultures. They are searching for the vocabulary of the global language that is exclusively music: a lexicon gleaned from their travels and the many stories they lived and heard which they use to tell their own story. The music itself springs from life lived, borders crossed, unfamiliar corners investigated, passports stamped and becomes their own living creation. The deeper one delves into this marketplace of ideas, the closer one comes to the essence that links all mankind. For this quest to succeed, an open attitude is an irrefutable prerequisite.

The synthesis of Morgenland‘s diverse musical influences and distinctive sound stem from the syntax, grammar and phraseology of Turkish/Arabic and Indian music performed with a chamber music conception. The musical interaction creates a unique and independent language.

Christides provides a powerful rhythmical foundation, deeply rooted in the Oriental tradition (he has integrated many diverse instruments into his percussion set). Building on this basis, Hildenbrand creates variety and contrast, with the one hand sketching delicate, floating, breathing sounds, with the other, digging deep into the rhythmic foundation. Upon this musical substructure, Lekesiz weaves melodies that surpass the barrier between the Orient and the Occident. The result is simply intriguing and full of subtle nuances.

Trio Morgenland builds a bridge between three cultures – Turkish, Greek, and German. Making music may provide only a small contribution to international understanding, but in any case, Trio Morgenland has a cultural and political message. As Lekesiz says, „I think it‘s important and inspiring to work with people who come from different backgrounds. It‘s exciting to discover how other people think, feel and live; and how they express these experiences in their art. It gives me a feeling of freedom – it‘s as though you could touch the stars.“

It is always important to find commonalities between people. We are all inhabitants of the Earth; and we all share a joint responsibility for this world. Taking what they have found, they have created their own living and moving music.