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On 27 and 28 June, musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Iranian musicians perform a special programme together at Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw in collaboration with the Holland Festival. Under the direction of André de Ridder, Western and Persian instruments together create extraordinary sound worlds in new music by composers born in Iran.
The Kurdish singer and composer Hani Mojtahedy (pictured) reflects on her personal experiences as an expelled artist in the song cycle Forbidden Echoes, enriched by the electronic layering of German producer Andi Toma (of Mouse On Mars fame) and new orchestrations by Ian Anderson. The songs alternate with the three movements of Tehran-based composer Golfam Khayam’s subtle Concerto for Viola, Santur and Ensemble featuring Kioomars Musayyebb (santur) and Michael Gieler (viola). The concert opens with a new commissioned work by the young composer Nader Adabnejaed, who lives and works in the Netherlands.
The region historically known as Persia has a long, rich musical tradition that has constantly been subject to renewal, as years of repression alternated with periods when connection with Western cultures was encouraged. After the 1978-79 Iranian revolution, most public musical performances were banned, and in today’s Iran, the distribution of music is controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the state broadcaster. Nevertheless, Iranian musicians around the world, including those in Iran itself, see opportunities to enrich the world with extraordinary new music.
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