Concert recommendation: Ostad Mohammad-Reza Lotfi – Songs of the Persian Mystics

Date: Sunday, April 15, 2012
Time: 7 pm
Venue: Peter Jay Sharp Theatre /Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025-6990)
Tickets: $35, $45, $60
Genre: Persian classical music

Ostad Mohammad-Rezā Lotfi, one of the greatest living masters of the tar and setar lutes, has been a major figure in the past 40 years in revolutionizing Persian traditional music. His innovative approach of combining the classical with folk elements in his compositions and performances has revitalized an ancient tradition. A prolific musician, he has made numerous recordings as a soloist and with such renowned Iranian musicians as Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Shahram Nazeri, and Hossein Alizadeh. In this program, Lotfi is joined by Mohammad Ghavihelm on tombak (goblet drum). This is Lotfi’s first New York appearance since 1993, when he performed in a concert presented by World Music Institute.