Iranian ensemble to perform at Tajik festival

TEHRAN,May 12(MNA) -- An Iranian ensemble led by vocalist Vadud Moazzen is scheduled to give a concert at the Shashmaqam Music Festival in Tajikistan. The festival opened during a ceremony at the Sadriddin Aini State Opera & Ballet Theater in Dushanbe on yesterday. Mehran Ahmad-Hazrati, Ahmad Sattari, Yusef Moharramian, Mehran Farshbaf are the members of the ensemble, which is led by the vocalist Vadud Moazzen. Musicians from Afghanistan, China, and Azerbaijan have participated in the event, which is annually held to celebrate Tajikistan’s National Shahsmaqam Day, which is May 12. Shashmaqam or six maqams (suites) is a Central Asian musical genre, (typical of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). Each maqam is set in one of the classical Persian musical modes, or melodic forms, each of which has a specific scale, typical melodic patterns, and accepted emotional content. Regional courts and large towns developed their own sets of maqams, performed in unison by an orchestra and a male chorus. The festival will run until May 14 in Dushanbe.