Persia I

The title “My Persia” recalls the phrase with which Goethe announced the great poetic work of his old age: it was “the Eastern divan of its Western author.” Wolfgang von Schweinitz’s works have had a decisive influence on the “just intonation” movement among composers. In “My Persia” he shows a particular interest in the special tunings, the dastgāhs (modes) of the radif, that are the cultural legacy of ancient Persian music, whose centuries-old microtonality he charts polyphonically. The world premiere will be complemented in the second section of the concert by a performance of the Berlin-based virtuosos Majeed Qadianie and Niloufar Mohseni, whose improvised playing on tār, setār and tombak will present the dastgāhs of the radif in their mythical beauty and poetry.