Iranian ensemble tops at Tajik music festival

TEHRAN,May 14(MNA) -- An Iranian music ensemble led by Vadud Moazzen has won the first prize at Tajikistan’s Shashmaqam Music Festival. The winners were honored during the closing ceremony of the festival on Sunday, Iran’s Embassy in Dushanbe announced on its website on Monday. Mehran Ahmad-Hazrati, Ahmad Sattari, Yusef Moharramian and Mehran Farshbaf are the members of the ensemble, which is led by vocalist Vadud Moazzen. Musicians from Afghanistan, China, and Azerbaijan have participated in the annual event 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 was held from May 9 to 12 in Dushanbe.