Enjoy the magical sound of the santur, an Iranian folk instrument that has its roots in string strumming and is therefore considered by some to be the ancestor of the piano. In addition to a traditional performance with the tombak, a percussion instrument characterized by its intricate finger-work, there will be a more contemporary piece with the addition of drums. The performance is accompanied by a video commentary by a researcher who has published many books and articles on Iranian music.

1. Semer in voice (Samer)

A piece in surreal melody by Parviz Messicatian (1955-2009).
Semar (or Samer) is a gathering of mystics who, through the practice of music and dance, enter into a state of oblivion. One of the elements that can easily induce such a trance is physical movement with rotation and repetition, and this piece has a similar sense of phrase.
Performed by : Masato Tani (Santoor) , Leo Sai (Tonbak)


2. Commentary on Iranian music with demonstration
Commentary, Santoor byr: Masato Tani


3. Chahar Mezrab in surreal melody
Chahar Mezrab is a relatively fast-paced musical form for solo instruments, which literally means "four repels". It was composed by Farahmalz Pahlavi (1933-2009), and the traditional melodic patterns mentioned in "Iranian Music with Demonstrations" appear in the piece in the same order.
Performed by : Masato Tani (Santoor), Leo Sai (Tonbak)


4. Mahl (Impossible)
This is a slightly more contemporary piece by Siavash Kamkar (1989-). The piece is based on the Abhu Attar melody, a close relative of the Shur melody. The piece is named after the technical difficulty of playing it at the speed indicated by the composer, especially in the last part.
Performed by : Masato Tani (Santoor), Junzo Tateiwa (Drum)


The santoor
The santoor is a percussion instrument with strings stretched over a trapezoidal resonator in the shape of a cot. The basic type is the 18-piece, 72-stringed version, played with a thin bachi in both hands. The body is made of walnut and the strings are made of brass and copper for the low notes and steel for the middle and high notes. The four strings are tuned to the same pitch and are placed on a single piece to increase the volume and depth of the sound. There is no mechanism to stop the sound, and the echoes and reverberations of the many so-called released strings combine to create a unique sound with rich overtones. This type of instrument, in which the strings are struck with a bee, is widely found in the Orient.

Profile of the other performers

Leo Sai
His father is half Taiwanese and half Japanese, and his mother is half American and half Japanese. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she has been interested in folk instruments and ancient civilizations since her childhood. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at Berklee College of Music, where she was introduced to the Iranian percussion instruments tombak and daf, and learned to play them from Payman Nasehpour and many others. After graduating from Berklee in 2012, she returned to Japan and has been working with Iranian and Persian music as well as improvisation, appearing on NHK Radio World and recording anime. She has also appeared on NHK Radio World and recorded animation. She has performed with Yoshida Daikichi, Yuji Tsunemi and others.
https://leosai.com/

Junzo Tateiwa
Junzo Tateiwa studied Tabla-Baya with Seiki Yoshimi and Prafulla Athalye, and darbuka with Susu Pampanin and Serdar BAGTIR. He took private lessons in frame drumming from Glen Velez and in tonbak from Farbod Yadollahi. In August 2016, he released his first solo percussion DVD. In August 2016, he released his first percussion solo DVD.
http://tateiwajunzo.wix.com/tateiwajunzo

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)