“Khorasaniyat”, new year gift from two legends
TEHRAN - (Iranart)- Khorasaniyat is a recently released work by two Iranian music legends, singer Mohammadreza Shajarian and the late composer Parviz Meshkatian.
The work with Khorasan’s folklore and maqami atmosphere has been created with lyrics by Baba Taher Oryan and Malek osh-Shoara Bahar. It was recorded in 1987 and has presented to Iranian music lovers after about 33 years.
The album was performed by Aref Ensemble featuring Meshkatian on santur, Mansour Sinki on tar and bamtar), Jamshid Andalibi on ney, Mohammad Firuzi on oud, Ardeshir Kamkar on kamancheh and qaychak, Bijan Kamkar on rubab and Arjang Kamkar on tombak.
“Khorasianiyat” may be regarded as one the most special and distinct collection by Aref Ensemble, as Shajarian and Meshkatian both are from the Khorasan region. On the other hand, the poems, which are selected among the works of two great Khorasani poets, were sung with Khorasani dialect to create a different and unique feeling.
Why the album was not released the same year is not very important issue. The notable point is that after over three decades, the work is considered a valuable and magnificent new year gift to all Iranian music lovers, even at a time that Meshkatian has passed away years ago and master Shajarian is on his sickbed.
The album consists of 8 tracks based on the dastgahs, which in first part raast-panjgaah and Rock and in the second part shur and dashti are performed.
Although poems have been sung in the Khorasani dialect, the musical setting has been precisely based on the Iranian dastgahs. The second part, especially last composition of the album, is so close to the Khorasan maqami music, which illustrates some parts of Khorasan for listeners.
Listening to “Khorasaniyat”, apart from enjoying the unique voice of master Shajarian, takes you back to the heyday of Aref Ensemble, which is regarded as the watershed of Iran’s music. Some unrepeatable works such as “Dastan” and “Nava” were made and released in those years.
This is the second time that after three decades, an album by these two great artists has been released. Earlier, “Tariqe Eshgh” was performed in Paris in 1989 and then released in Iran in September 2016. It was an amazing collection from Shajarian, Meshkatian in Aref Ensemble.
source: Tehran Times.0