This marvellous concert was performed only once in Australia, September 28. Several musicians were flown in from Iran to join Australian-Iranians in the Utzon Room giving lucky Sydney-siders the opportunity to hear 2000-year-old masterful sounds of the ancient Persian world. The audience included many local Iranians who knew the music. They snapped fingers and hummed along enthusiastically. Some of the five musicians demonstrated their instruments and spoke briefly about the meaning of the songs. It was quite an engaging afternoon with serious musicians, engrossed local Iranians and fascinated Sydney-siders. But there’s more! As the audience waits in anticipation of a unique concert, we watch ferries glide by and admire the Jørn Utzon tapestry. A beautiful location, beautiful performance space andan eager crowd.
This Sydney Opera House project was initiated and developed by Genevieve Lacey, an Australian musician and recorder virtuoso and cultural leader. Her engaging introduction to the performance was just right. Short and sweet.
This reviewer knows almost nothing about Persian music and is using the internet to source some key point for readers. Persian and Arabic music have some similarities but are quite different. Persian classical music developed through the country’s classical, medieval and contemporary eras. The foundation of Persian classical music lies in primary modes, each with its own unique set of melodies and emotional expressions. The system is highly structured and allows for intricate improvisations. The musician must have a deep understanding of the structure and the unique scale to be able to improvise. The vocalist plays a crucial role, as he or she decides what to express and which mode relates to what mood.
The five performers were vocalist Saba Pashaee, Vhideh Eisaie on the qanan, Hamid Khansari on the oud, Pegah Kheirdoush on the kamancheh and Schrab Kolahdooz on percussion.
There is one annoying aspect of this event. The program is deficient. There is no way of knowing who wrote the ‘Artist Note’. Whoever it is wrote “I’m deeply grateful to Genevieve Lacey for her vision and trust.” There is no way of knowing whichperformers are locals and which were flown in from Iran. There is no information about the more modern pieces. We can only surmise one of the pieces is modern because composer Hamid Khansari is listed. The internet reveals that he is 40. Theprogram could have given at least something about the composers and performers.
