The 2nd Show of Hands Festival, a special event on solo improvisations is underway at Niavaran Cultural Center in north Tehran.
According to Tiwall.com, where tickets are available, on Monday setar player Ali Boustan from Iran and cellist Anja Lechner from Germany will stage their solo improvisations.
Boustan will introduce shurangiz, a new Iranian musical instrument which is a member of the lute family and was developed under the supervision of acclaimed tar and setar virtuoso and composer Hossein Alizadeh.
Boustan started playing setar at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Mohammad Firouzi and studied theories of Iranian music under Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Parviz Meshkatian and Ahmad Ebadi and since 1989 learnt setar from Hossein Alizadeh. Boustan is a member of Hamavayan Ensemble led by Hossein Alizadeh and Nour Ensemble led by Christophe Rezaei. Anja Lechner’s broad spectrum of work embraces performances as soloist with orchestras, classical and contemporary chamber music as well as projects referencing diverse improvisational traditions. She has held concerts overseas and collaborated with many famous figures in classical music. Despite her classical training, Lechner has exceptional talent in improvisation. “Anja Lechner’s cello is an open window welcoming all pure sounds of music coming from all corners of the world,” Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian has said about her.
Niavaran Cultural Center is located at the northern tip of Pasdaran Street, across Niavaran Park.
