Veteran traditional vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian performed in the southern Turkish town of Konya on Saturday (September 26) during the 12th Konya International Mystic Music Festival, September 22-30, under the serene shadow of Rumi’s tomb, in Konya, Turkey.
Shajarian and his ensemble were invited by the Turkish government to perform at the annual festival to celebrate the birth anniversary of Persian mystic and poet Rumi, also known as Mevlana, September 30, ISNA reported.
The group performed pieces on Rumi’s poems, composed by Shajarian and veteran composer Majid Derakhshani, which were welcomed by the audience from across the globe. The Persian-speaking visitors also sang along with the master singer during his famous piece ‘Dawn Bird’.
The hall was overcrowded as more than 1400 music fans gathered at the venue designated to host 700 people. Many had to see the concert standing.
Shajarian, 75, is an internationally and critically acclaimed Persian classical singer and composer. He is one of the greatest living masters of traditional Persian music.
Groups from around the world are also scheduled to give performances during the festival. Turkey’s International Mevlana Foundation honored Shajarian with a Golden Pin during his concert with the Shahnaz Ensemble in Konya in December 2009.
Since the first edition in 2004, it has become a melting pot of mystical music from around the world. It commemorates the life of Rumi, 13th-century poet and Sufi mystic, who was laid to rest in Konya.
Last year, eminent Iranian Kamancheh (knee fiddle) master Kayhan Kalhor performed at the event.
