Without You
From the first moment when Alizadeh's lute gently breaks the surrounding silence,Masters of Persian Musicholds you spellbound. Four top virtuosi, including a father and son, take Iran's ancient musical forms and turn them into a timelessly compelling entertainment. The first thing that strikes you about this music is how spare it is: voice, lute, fiddle, and drum are rarely all heard simultaneously; each takes its turn in the spotlight to improvise with economical deliberation. You may also be struck by the way each instrument shadows the others--with the voice merely first among equals--picking up the same melodic phrases, and repeating them higher or lower. And you will become aware of the richness of nuance woven into every note; this expressiveness lies at the core of Persian classical music. Its alternating high-and-low, question-and-answer phrases are often described as "aloud and silent"--a paradox that nicely reflects its mystical religious roots. Transmission of this art has always been from master to pupil, "from chest to chest," as Iranian musicians say. Kayhan Kalhor learned his art in the dark days when his instrument was regarded as hopelessly passé. His tenacity is now reaping well-deserved rewards.--Michael Church