Farhang Sharif and Siamack Banai in concert

Music Department (SOAS) in association with the Iran Heritage Foundation.

Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd.

Farhag Sharif (tar) and Siamack Banai (tombak).

Farhang Sharif is a veteran musician who specializes in the tar, a traditional Iranian string instrument, of which he is one of the greatest living virtuosos. He began his career in Tehran in the early 1950s, and has been a leading figure in Persian music for over fifty years, having performed internationally in concerts worldwide. He has produced hundreds of hours of cassettes and CDs. For twenty-five years, from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, he was one of the main and leading soloists of the highly influential 'Gulha' programmes ('Flowers of Persian song and music') on Iranian Radio. He is known for his command of this musical instrument and Iranian music sound system (radif) along with its various melodic modes (dastgah). His command of the radif is such that he can play several hours without repeating any of the melodies, while at the same time the original pieces of song are comprehensible for every listener. He is admired for his confidence in playing the most difficult pieces and recondite melodies in Persian music, and specialists of Persian music say that they can easily distinguish sound of his tar because of his particular and distinctive style.

Siamack Banai has been a leading teacher of the Persian goblet drum (tombak) in Iran for the last two decades. A follower of the style late Hussein Tehrani, the most famous virtuoso tombak player of the last century, he studied under the virtuoso drummer Muhammad Ismaili and from 1987 performed in the Nava Ensemble conducted by Mehrdad Dilnavazi. He played with Faramarz Payvar, Muhammad Ismaili and other masters in concerts in Iran and was an active member of the 'Grand string orchestra' (Urkestra-yi buzurg-i misrabi) conducted by Hasan Dehlavi during the same decade. He has also compiled two multimedia CDs on the history of Persian instruments for the Mahoor Institute in Tehran, and written two books on the art of playing the tombak of Muhammad Ismaili.

Farhang Sharif is known for his mastery of the art of musical improvisation (badai-navazi) on the tar and for his facility and expertise in interpreting the twelve musical modes of Persian music. In this concert he will be giving us a rare example of his virtuosity in this art, accompanied by Siamack Banai on the tombak. Performed by two of the most eminent musicians of the classical tradition, this concert will thus be a unique opportunity for aficionados of Persian music to hear this private art form on display in a public setting.

Reservations are essential; contact enquiries.

This concert is organised in conjunction with the master classes that will be conducted by Farhang Sharif and Siamack Banai at SOAS from 16 to 21 July 2007. For details click here.