Farah
CD Number [141]
Published [05/07/2003]
The Ensemble of the Center for Preservation and
Dissemination of Persian Music , 1973
Vocals: Razavi Sarvestani
The musicians who had performed FARAH in 1973 were the most talentuous students of Master Nur Ali Brumand.
Born in 1953 near Chiraz, Razavi Sarvestani has an extraordinary voice and a great sensibility. He has withdrawn from public life to prepare himself to carry on this imposing legacy entrusted to him.
Born in 1953 near Tehran, Dariush Tala'i is one of the most qualified and brilliant interpreters of traditional music. He plays TAR in his own style and has made several records. The TAR is an instrument of the lute family. Its board is made of a skin membrane. This one is very thin and the wonderful sonority is due for the most part to this lamb skin.
Davoud Gandje'i plays KAMANTCHE. It's an instrument of the viol family with four metallic strings.
Jalal Zolfonum plays SETAR which is one of the most ancient instruments of the lute family. It has 3 strings, plus one used as a sort of resonator.
Mohammad Ali Haddadian plays NEY which is a flute without mouthpiece and with six holes.
Marta Mazinada plays SANTUR which is a trapezoid zither struck by thin sticks.
Morteza Aayan plays ZARB. It's a chalice-shaped drum fitted with a skin, also called tombak.
Persian musical art comes from a very ancient tradition. It was only after the Islamic conquest that one have been able to trace its evolution.
The Abassyde princes were very fond of music and of poetry (750-1258). They encouraged scholars to compile and to develop previous musical concepts. Persian music and its instruments reached a very high degree of perfection and refinement and was propagated all over the Arabian world.
On one side, the monarchs encouraged the development of Persian musical schools. On the other side, this development was hindered by Muslim orthodoxy which admitted only devotional chant in the ritual. Under such conditions, music became more intimist and had to discover a more refined timer for the instruments.
Under the dynasty Qajar (1785-1925), the notion of Dastgagh became more and more important in Persian repertoire and now it's and essential basis of Persian music.
