Traditional sounds of Persia by John Payne - Special to LA Times


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Traditional sounds of Persia by John Payne - Special to LA Times
by bitamg
19-Jul-2010
 
Traditional sounds of Persia Homay and the Mastan Group astound the audience at Walt Disney Concert Hall. WORLD MUSIC REVIEW

July 05, 2008|John Payne, Special to The Times

The rapturous reception given Iran's traditional music ensemble Homay and
the Mastan Group in their debut U.S. performance at Walt Disney Concert
Hall on Thursday night was well-deserved, not just for their dazzling
innovations on old musical forms, but for the inspiring audacity shown
by the group's very formation.

The seven-member ensemble was
founded by Parvaz Homay, a young man (still in his 20s) carrying on the
Persian tradition of chameh soraei, in which a musician composes,
writes his own lyrics and sings. His ensemble comprises handpicked
experts on the customary Persian instrumentation, including the
four-stringed tar, the reedy, flute-like ney, the upright fiddle called
kamanche and the multistringed hammered zither, santoor.

Calling their performance "A Forbidden Journey" -- also the name of
the ensemble's latest album -- Homay and his colleagues, inspired by
the Sufi poets Rumi and Hafez, aimed to reestablish the old Persian
practice of creating music that can make the listener reach a higher
level of consciousness. Their nearly three-hour performance at Disney
Hall achieved this effect via Homay's heartfelt lyrics and
groundbreaking music, which builds on the older folklorical styles with
bold new structures, rhythms and melodic schemes.

These 18 pieces
were performed in exhilarating style, with each player functioning as
both soloist and ensemble member. The pieces generally were worked out
in formats that accommodated substantial personal interpretation by the
individual players.

The opening "Man az Jahani Degaram" presented
the basic outline of the evening's works, which were characterized by
lengthy elaborations on the traditional song-shape. Other pieces used a
set-up of introductory duet by the vocalist with various instruments --
such as the lute-like oud or the tombak. The entire group would then
play a more orchestrated version based on themes and/or rhythms alluded
to in the preliminary duet.

The modernity of the group's approach
to this mainly non-harmonic music (i.e., it's not built on chords)
became even more evident by its emphasis on a textural harmony that
resulted from the blending of tones emanating from the particular
instrumentation Homay had selected.

While many of these pieces
were of extended length and of unpredictable pattern and pulse (which
created a few amusingly failed attempts by the audience to clap along),
they were nevertheless highly engaging and often even quite simply
presented. The words of revered Persian poets Parvin Etesami and Saghir
Esfahani were interpreted by Homay himself in a high-pitched, richly
nuanced vocal style as he conducted the band with bold strokes on twin
clay drums.

These were mesmerizing performances that produced a
euphoric goodwill in the listener, a feeling that lingered long after
departure from the concert hall.


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