Iranian classical music has experienced significant changes over the last thirty years, partly through a new confidence among those musicians willing to explore new musical avenues. Poetry has played a central role in Iranian culture for centuries. At times when Persian language and identity were under assault, it was poetry in particular which kept the essence of the culture alive.  The music you will hear at this concert is deeply rooted and imbued with a sense of tradition and continuity, but at the same time they speak with a contemporary voice.

Mehdi Rostami (setar) , Hossein Alishapour (voice) and Adib Rostami (tombak) open the evening with the Art of Improvisation in Iranian Music, with the full group – including Tara Jaff (Harp, voice) – going on to take a contemporary approach to a set of ancient Kurdish pieces from different parts of the Kurdistan region. The beautifully absorbing performance builds and intensifies, stirring both the artists and listeners to become ecstatically lost in the music.