This album, composed by Madjid Derakhshani and sung by Zohreh Jooya, is based on poems of the Persian mystics Mevlana Rumi, Hafiz and Saadi. It is a blend of classical Persian music with the sounds of today; an unconventional combination of Oriental and European instruments.
Zohreh Jooya, raised in the holy city of Mashad in Iran, received a classical music education at the Academy of Music, Vienna and then earned a masters degree in opera at the “Conservatoire of the City of Vienna”. She currently pursues a singing career in both Oriental and European cultures with opera performances throughout Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.
Madjid Derakhshani is considered one of the best tar players in Iran with the respectful title “Ostad”, meaning a master who can give the best performance on a classical instrument. His teacher on setar and tar was the legendary Mohamad Reza Lotfi. He has also recorded with the most famous Iranian singer Mohammadreza Shajarian.
In addition to the poems by Hafiz, Saadi and Mowlana Rumi there is also one from Shafii Katkany – added as an example of modern Iranian poetry to set a counterpoint of modern reality to the old mystics.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
