Nedaye Asemani

The spiritual but contagious excite¬ment that we have come to associate with Iranian classical music is abundantly present on this CD. Here, three excellent Iranian instrumentalists along with a Belgian cellist let themselves go in a measured frenzy of masterful improvisation. The title means ‘heavenly murmur’ but it is also a worldly reference to Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman who died during summer 2009’s Green Revolution in Iran. The group was created by tombak (goblet drum) master Dadmehr with the aim of opening up new horizons in Persian music; Shahkilid means ‘the key that opens all doors’. In 1990, Dadmehr and Shahram Mirjalali, who plays tar and barbat (oud), played the first improvisational concert by a quartet in Iran since the revolution. It is clear that they have continued to move on in this direction: the tombak provides the rhythmic lead for brilliant improvisation, combining contemporary and traditional influences.

The recordings are based on concerts given in Molière, a venue in Brussels. Sometimes in the middle of all the ecstasy an instrument rhythmically may almost seem to spin out of control, but this is part of the risks these virtuosi take. In fact it is amazing that all this perfection was recorded live, and in excellent sound quality. This is the second album to be released on the Muziekpublique label, the first being the Malick Pathé Sow CD, which the late Charlie Gillett championed in his radio shows. It looks like productions from Muziekpublique are something to watch out for.