Iranian Ensemble Shines at Russia’s DairaFest
WANA (Nov 01) – The Saint Petersburg-based DairaFest International Festival, aimed at promoting Iranian art and music through a two-year cultural project, has featured the Iranian ensemble “Hamnavazan Fakhteh” under the leadership of Khashayar Parsa, presenting a vivid journey through the evolution of Persian music from ancient to contemporary times.
In the first year of the project, the ensemble focused on the Maktab-e Montazemiyeh, performing works by Abd al-Qadir Maraghi and his contemporaries, successfully recreating a portion of the medieval Iranian musical aesthetic. The performance drew significant audience attention in Russia, and the festival brochure included explanations about the Montazemiyeh.
The Maktab-e Montazemiyeh was a philosophical and theoretical movement in Islamic-Iranian music that emerged in late 6th century AH in Baghdad, founded on principles of order and structure in music theory.
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Continuing this initiative, this year Hamnavazan Fakhteh staged two additional performances showcasing Persian music.
The first concert on October 19 highlighted Qajar-era classical Persian music, featuring compositions by Darvish Khan and vocal pieces by Taherzadeh. Hedayat performed on the setar, Alireza Rasouli accompanied on the kamancheh, and Mehdi Shahsavar brought the Qajar musical atmosphere to life with expressive and improvised singing. Held in a historic Saint Petersburg building, the concert harmonized with the classical structure of Persian music and was widely covered, including a live television broadcast.
The second concert on October 26 (4 Aban) offered the ensemble’s contemporary interpretations of Montazemiyeh and Qajar-era music. The concert was held at the prestigious Alexandrinsky Theater, one of Russia’s oldest venues, and sold out two days in advance, reflecting strong Russian interest in classical Iranian music.
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Speaking about the performances, Khashayar Parsa said: “Our goal was to present Iranian music not just as a historical heritage, but as a living language and a medium for intercultural dialogue.” He added that the two-year collaboration with DairaFest has built a cultural bridge between Iranian and Russian artists and allowed the beauty of Iranian music to reach a global audience.
Both performances were attended by Mehdi Hosseini, the Iranian secretary and advisor to DairaFest.
The ensemble’s successful appearances at DairaFest demonstrate that Persian classical music, rooted in a rich historical tradition, continues to serve as a global language for communication, creativity, and intercultural dialogue, resonating with contemporary audiences worldwide.
Iranian Ensemble Shines at Russia’s DairaFest. Social media/ WANA News Agency
