The Alla Turca fashion made its way into Turkish operas after the final siege of Vienna and the Turkish defeat. Since the early 17th century dozens of arias, operas, and instrumental works have been composed in this style. This project, Carneval Oriental, is inspired by these cultures, celebrating carnivals as it was most likely held in the 16th and 17th centuries. Images of caftans and turbans, Turkish drinks, and hookahs are brought to mind. The Pera Ensemble and L’arte del mondo teams up on this recording to bring us a quality performance of Baroque music from Italy and France laced with oriental spice.