Lyrical, hypnotic, rhythmic, a journey into the mysticism of the Yarsans with a master of the tanbur.
Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian is a young master and innovator of the thousand-year-old traditions of the Yarsans. He was born in Kermanshah, Iran, and began playing the tanbur, a three-stringed lute, at a young age. The tanbur plays a central role in sacred music in the western parts of the country, and is considered sacred among practitioners of the religious minority Yarsans, a small group in the Kurdish population. The instrument can be traced back at least 5,000 years. The music develops slowly from generation to generation in a classical way, from master to student. But over time, secular and folk music has also developed.
The debut album Songs of Horaman (2021) provides evidence of his quietly intense musical art. Heydarian takes the listener on a journey into a world of the mysticism of the Yarsans, alternating between brittle chords and rapid fingerings.
On the follow-up Noor-e Vojood (“The Light of Existence”), from 2025, Heydarian sharpens the focus yet again, this time in a tight rhythmic dialogue with Morteza Rezaei on dohól drum.
Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian – tanbur
Valentin Portron – dohól drum
Arranged together with Clandestino.
Boka plats på studio@rorane.se Entré 180 kr.
“Some music instruments carry a whole world of tradition, faith and culture. It’s the case of the tanbur, a millenia-old lute strongly tied to the city of Kermanshah (western Iran). Its practice is associated with mystical Yarsan religious beliefs and its knowledge is passed down through generations. Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian, a young master of the instrument, was immersed in this culture from an early age, as he began learning the maqams (modes/scales) as a child and now he’s sharing his hypnotic compositions on the tanbur, as if it was an extension of his soul. Reflective and profound, his music unfolds through repetitive melodies and rhythms which gradually, gently evolve, for a style that is deeply personal, yet deeply connected with history.”