Iran - Andrew Burke [49]
There are occasional music festivals, particularly during the annual 10 Days of Dawn (1 to 11 February). Festivals can be hard to track down; the website www.tehranavenue.com might have details. Women performers were banned for many years but now women-only concerts are commonplace.
Classical
For Iranians there is no distinction between poetry and lyrics, and traditional Persian music is poetry set to a musical accompaniment. Like epic poems, some ‘epic songs’ are very long and masters can spend most of their lives memorising the words.
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Sima Bina was born in Khorasan province and first performed publicly at the age of nine. She continues to record the folk music of Khorasan, holds women-only concerts in Iran and tours worldwide.
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Classical Persian music is almost always downbeat and can sound decidedly mournful or, as one young Shirazi told us, ‘depressing’. Despite this, it remains hugely popular and you’ll hear it in taxis and teahouses across the country. Two singers particularly worth listening out for are Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri, both of whom have helped promote interest in classical Persian music internationally.
While the voice is usually central to this form of music, it is backed by several instruments that have deep roots in Persian culture. Among the most common:
tar – a six-string instrument, usually plucked
setar – similar to the tar but with four strings
nay – generic name for various types of flute
sorna – similar to an oboe
kamancheh – a kind of four-stringed viola played like a cello
daf and daryereh – different sizes of outsized tambourine
santur – dulcimer played with delicate wooden mallets
tombak – vase-shaped drum with a skin at the wide end
dahol and zarb– large and small drums respectively
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The Kamkars, a Kurdish family ensemble, started as a semi-professional group in 1967. Since then, they have been celebrated for their concerts featuring traditional Iranian music, and rousing Kurdish folk songs. They tour in Iran and worldwide.
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Folk
The most appealing and melodious traditional music is heard among ethnic minorities, such as the Turkmen in northern Iran. Azaris favour a unique style of music, often based around a love song, whereas Kurds have a distinctively rhythmic music based mainly around the lute and their own versions of epic songs, called bards.
Folk music employs most of the instruments mentioned above, with regional variations; along the Persian Gulf a type of bagpipe called the demam is popular. The music of Sistan va Baluchestan is understandably similar to that of Pakistan and typically uses instruments such as the tamboorak (similar to the Pakistani tambura, a type of harmonium).
Perhaps not surprisingly, the lyrics of most traditional music revolve around Islam, though some are based on love or celebrate ancient military victories.
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Underground rockers Kiosk regularly tour the US. Reminiscent of Dire Straits, their lyrics are witty and wry. Their videos are excellent with young Iranian artists working on ‘To Kojaiee’. The video for ‘Esgh-e Sorat’ lays bare issues facing contemporary Iran; for a subtitled version visit www.kiosk-music.com.
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Pop
Iranian pop music has re-emerged under the watchful eye of the Iranian authorities. Many of the best Iranian musicians fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution. They now perform abroad, with ’70s superstar Googosh, in particular, playing regularly in North America, Europe, Australia and Dubai. Their music still circulates illicitly within Iran.
Nine-piece Arian was the first mixed-gender band to get official approval after the revolution. Their debut album, Gole