Compared to Today: Good, Not Great
Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 12/21/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album is a concert live recording in 1997 in Washington, DC. Since then, Iranian musicians, particularly Kayhan Kalhor of this Dastan Ensemble, have successfully honed their compositions and improvisations toward more contemporary styles. The album has two sections of poetry and musical approaches: the first, honoring Jalladin Molavi, whose text is that of one in embrace of the Beloved, Allah, has a traditional or classical format; the second poem is by Hafez, and his perspective, that of the seeker, is arranged within a modern musical composition. The mode of both is bayat-e esfahan. This is a fine performance and arrangment, though it seems to lack emotional verve. I believe it pales against the more recent recording of Rumi poetry by Shahram Nazeri and his son's Rumi Ensemble, with their romantic and passionate compositions and performance. I recommend purchasing the CD from one of the Amazon merchants whose prices are far better."