Iran: Persian Classical Music
The present release is a wonderful concert by Mohammad Rezâ Shadjariân, master of Persian classical singing, both composer and performer at the same time: inspired improvisation, poems chosen with great taste, subtle instrumental accompaniment. Traditional Iranian music is a message, a call from the artist's inmost consciousness, which is tightly linked to his age-old history and culture. Poetry is regarded so highly by Iranians that music is often accompanied by sung poems (by Ferdowsi, Mowlavi, Saadi, Hâfez, Bâbâ Taher, Khayam etc.). The technique of Persian singing is very complex, and while it is of great subtlety, it demands great physical force and support –The singer improvises ornaments and vocalizations in a form of singing, free and arhythmic, the beauty of which depends on his sensitivity, mood, and enthusiasm and depth of the performance.