Concert to feature enchanting Chinese, Persian music

Nazila Eftekharimanesh

Wenzhuo Zhang

The entrancing sounds of the ancient Chinese yang gin and the Persian santur, the traditional hammered dulcimers of their respective culture, will be featured at SUNY Fredonia in a concert Monday, March 19, 8 p.m., at Rosch Recital Hall.

“Ancient Sounds, Contemporary Hands: A Concert of Traditional and Modern Music for the Santur and Yang Qin” will be performed by award winning artists Wenzhuo Zhang and Nazila Eftekharimanesh (dulcimer) and Ziya Tabassian (percussion).

Ms. Zhang will showcase the beauty of Chinese classical music and traditional tunes which can be traced to the Eastern Jin dynasty (316-420), as well as contemporary techniques for the yang qin.

Ms. Eftekharimanesh will perform radif and improvisations from the classical Persian repertoire of Iranian music and classical compositions by the late master of santur, Faramarz Payvar. In a more contemporary style, Ms. Eftekharimanesh will perform her own compositions that use melodies and rhythms within the structure of radif, but with a “modern touch.”
Internationally known for their amazing musical sensitivity and technical prowess, the trio will also contrast their music with contemporary styles.

Audiences throughout history have been mesmerized and excited by the sounds of the ancient Chinese yang qin and the Persian santur. The santur is traditionally accompanied by the Persian tombak, a single-headed goblet shaped drum with a wooden shell) and is an integral sound on this concert.

The concert is free and open to the public. A pre-concert talk with the artists will be held at 7:15 p.m., also in Rosch.