Masters of Persian Music

I went to a music concert with Rob last night; Chris and Natasha were graceful enough to give us the tickets for us to enjoy. (Many thanks to you, guys!) And below please see an introduction of the Masters of Persian Music (taken from the website of LA Philharmonic):

Quartet of Iranian "Superstars,"- Including Living Legend Mohammad Reza Shajarian - Present Unique Musical and Poetic Treasures

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, AT 8 PM

The Los Angeles Philharmonic continues its World Music series with a rare U.S. presentation of Masters of Persian Music, a virtuosic quartet of Iranian superstars, at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday, February 26, at 8 p.m. Noted for expanding the boundaries of Persian classical music and increasing its popularity around the globe, the Iranian group embraces the music's rich and ancient heritage as well as its deeply spiritual and meditative qualities, which are linked through poetry to Sufism.

Featured in the quartet are Mohammad Reza Shajarian, a living legend in Iran whose unique vocal style is immediately recognizable for its sweetness of tone and fluidity; tar (plucked lute) maestro Hossein Alizadeh, a ground-breaking composer who has scored numerous Iranian films; and kamancheh (spike fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor, renowned for his creative collaborations with the Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma for his Silk Road Project, among others. They are joined by singer and tombak (goblet drum) player Homayoun Shajarian, Mohammad Reza Shajarian's 20-year-old son, already a commanding musical force.
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During the concert, the music seriously drew me into another space. Following the music, I naturally closed my eyes and started to travel deep within myself. My breathing was at times labored, at times full of ease and liberation, at times challenging, shallow, held in or warm with finally exhaling. Thoughts upon thoughts and they moved and traveled like ocean waves, evolving, crashing and dissapating into one another, and I the witness and observer. My heart was getting fuller and fuller and fuller. At the end, it finally hit me:

"I am alive."
"And it's okay to be ashamed."
"It's okay to be shamed and feel ashamed."
"I feel so shameful."
"I am alive."
"The spirits love me anyway."

"It's okay to be ashamed."

With that thought, I let out a deep breath that felt so long overdue. I took a breath again, and I felt finally, at last, free. Free from something that has troubled me for a great while and something that I have had been sitting with all these years, waiting for the opportunity to come to take me to another space to experience it differently.

That music serisouly had some intense meditative power. I am definitely buying a CD. Rob and i are thinking that sometimes we can perhaps meditate together to that music. Should be very intimate and powerful.

Thanks again, Chris and Natasha!