Iranian music
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Iranian musician Shahram Nazeri
The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope
Shahram Nazeri is the undisputed master of setting Rumi's poetry to music. At a recent concert in Teheran, the renowned musician sang his audience into a state of ecstasy and gave voice to the Iranians' hopes for a brighter cultural future. After several barren years, the cultural scene is indeed showing tentative signs of change. By Massoud Schirazi
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"New Sounds of Iran"
Busting Geographical and Cultural Boundaries
Traditional Persian classical music enjoys an almost unassailable status in Iran – in contrast to the country's rather disreputable but creative underground scene. The "New Sounds of Iran" Festival shows how the two apparently conflictive genres can be combined. Amin Farnanefar reports on the event and new trends in Iranian music
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The Music Group Cyminology
A Global Sound, but without the Global Clichés
Persian poetry from the Arabian Nights meets modern, urban jazz – it may sound bizarre, but it works beautifully. The music of Berlin-based band Cyminology manages to be experimental while at the same time dodging the pitfalls of the world music genre. By Suzanne Cords
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Musicians in Iran
An Uphill Struggle All the Way
With heavy censorship and no copyright laws, being a musician in Iran is a thankless job. Bamdad Esmaili spoke to a number of Iranian musicians about the manifold challenges they face
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Islam in European Classical Music
As-salam alaykum Resounding from the Minaret
We cannot say precisely when the musical penetration of East and West began, but one thing is certain: composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and others could not resist the fascination of the Orient. Thus elements of Turkish music, Persian poetry and Arabic storytelling found their way straight to the heart of European culture. By Nadja Kayali
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Interview with the Iranian Virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor
For the Love of Improvisation
The Iranian Kayhan Kalhor is one of the great virtuosos of the kamancheh, a Persian string instrument. In an interview with Shahram Ahadi, the composer talks about the art of improvisation and how he became a young soloist in Iran
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Supposed Fatwa against Iranian Rapper Shahin Najafi
''We Will Continue with Our Work''
Iran's grand ayatollah has issued what many have interpreted to be a fatwa against the rapper Shahin Najafi, who has lived in Germany for the past seven years. In this interview with Shahram Ahadi, Najafi gives his take on the situation
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Iranian Tombak Virtuoso Mohammad Reza Mortazavi
Flying Fingers
There are very good reasons why Mohammad Reza Mortazavi is known as the drummer with the "fastest hands in the world"; listening to him perform, one gets the impression that one is listening to an ensemble of drummers playing a variety of instruments. Marian Brehmer reports
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Interview with Mohammad Reza Shajarian
''Humanity is what art is all about''
For Iranians around the world Mohammad Reza Shajarian is the embodiment of classical Persian culture. In the summer of 2009 his support of the Iranian reform movement made him vastly popular among the young generation. An interview by Marian Brehmer
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Cyminology
A Finely Woven Fabric of Mysticism and Music
The German-Persian singer Cymin Samawatie is the leader of the band Cyminology. With the quartet she has set texts of the Persian mystic Hāfiz and the scholar and poet Omar Khayyám, among others, to music. A portrait by Lewis Gropp