This is what people have said about us:

"Bewitching"

"Magical"

"You're taken to a different world"

"Different and fascinating"

"Changed my mind about harp and song - lovely!"

Reviews:

"Unpretentious and pure... as if through the wardrobe door. You are taken as listener

to another time and place"

(HallandsPosten, October 2007)

"In one of the songs she runs towards her beloved, in another she seeks eternal protection for her soul - all expressed with the same

butterfly-like ease and grace. Qiyans krets is Marianne Holmboe, Veronika Halten and Josefine Liftig who have been inspired by "qiyan", highly educated female slaves who worked as poets, musicians and dancers at Arabic courts during the Middle Ages.

On their double-CD "Echoes of Qiyan" are presented not only Arabic songs but also Sephardic, and songs and dances from other areas around the Mediterranean. Oriental, sparkling sounds that broaden and get additional wings by the Oscar Fredric Chamber Choir, As in "Dja da Kall" - a honey-sweet Sufi dream about getting drowned by love."

(Martin Nyström, Dagens Nyheter 2010-03-03)

"Spanish-Jewish Middle Ages with a Swedish interpretation

'Sephardic' was the denomination of the Jews of Spanish-Jewish origin who were driven out of Spain when the Christians re-conquered the country from the Arab Moors in the 15th century.

Their music, which was well nurtured by the highly trained female slaves who were called Qiyan and who entertained at Moslem courts, has now been released on an album by the Swedish ensemble Qiyans krets, backed up by the choir and newly written choral arrangements. In addition to the Jewish music, there is also Medieval music of Middle-European and Nordic/folk music origin.

Slowly flowing laments, embellished with oriental ornaments, are mixed with rhythmical, fast and catchy pieces. An intersection between the European and the Oriental is always exciting, as are the straight, Medieval sounds.

The instruments used are harp, flutes, pipes and a lot of percussion, varied in imaginative and diverse arrangements. Adding a choir to this rhythmically and tonally exciting mix, is a fully functional idea. The choir sings softly and the arrangements have a Nordic sound, which gives an exciting contrast to the more exotic elements.

The instrumental parts are more energetic, and here you also feel a higher degree of intensity and swing.

This exciting world is worth a larger space, not least in the rich Swedish choral life."

(Susanne Holmlund, Sundsvalls Tidning 18/3 2010)

"Al-andalusiskt. Sedan några år tillbaka pågår det en renässans för den historiska musik som uppkom under den al-andalusiska perioden (mellan 711 och 1492) i Spanien. Det är alltså den tid då morerna styrde i södra Spanien. Från denna tid härstammar den sefardiska musik som utgör en lång och viktig judisk musiktradition.

Nu har även Sverige fått sina uttolkare av denna musik då tre musiker, flöjtisten Josefine Liftig, harpisten Veronika Halten och sångerskan Marianne Holmboe, bildat ensemblen Qiyans krets. Tillsammans med Oscar Fredriks kammarkör skapar de en suggestiv stämning kring denna traditionstunga musik som ger ett extra djup åt lyssnarupplevelsen.

Den sefardiska musiken framförs annars idag på huvudsakligen två sätt, man kan höra tidstrogna återgivelser av ensembler som består av de främsta musikforskarna på området och sedan höra samma sånger i moderniserade arrangemang av ladinosångare som Yasmin Levy. Det blir då ett spännande och originellt grepp när Qiyans Krets bejakar mystiken och dramatiken och låter dessa moment ge musiken dess tyngdpunkt. Dessutom blandar man på ett förvånande naturligt och smakfullt sätt ibland in nordiska klanger som ändå verkar passa in på ett nästan självklart sätt.

Albumet består av två cd där den första är helt ägnad den sefardiska musiken och den andra innehåller en blandning av medeltida sånger."

(Rolf Nilsén, Musikmagasinet Lira, februari 2010)