The thundering santur
July 1997
The Iranian
The curtain lifted. You could see the outline of a man sitting in the
center of the stage with his head down. The sound of the santur was faint
at best.
People sitting around tables at the Noruz celebrations in Berkeley,
northern California, were too busy cracking nuts and munching on fruits
and cookies to notice the music.
Then suddenly, a series of thunderous sounds rocked the hall. People's
jaws froze instantly and they began to listen. A delicate santur couldn't
make such sounds, surely. But Alan Kushan's can. And the effect is absolutely
magnificent.
Kushan, an Iranian Kurd with appropriate long, dark hair, has added
piano, harp and harpsichord strings to the traditional santur, creating
a unique bass sound that has brought a powerful dimension to this ancient
instrument. Add Kushan's brilliant musical talent and you have something
very special.
Here's a track from his CD, "Pegah: A Persian diaspora" on
the XDOT 25 lable:
* Pegah
