Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Persian Classical Music After The Islamic Revolution | 20230716 | Iranian singer and educator, Mahsa Vahdat, with the third episode of her three part series on Iranian - or Persian - Classical Music. In this episode she explores the music created after 1979 and the Islamic Revolution, and how against restrictions and bans, musicians were still able to write and perform. Mahsa shares her memories of this time, of attending her first public concert, and how women musicians responded by giving private concerts in their homes and - where possible - performing overseas. We hear from some of the younger musicians performing today in Iran, such as oud player Yasamin Shahhosseini, and Mahsa ends with a performance by her and her sister of a song called 'Daram Omidi', or 'Twinklings of Hope'. Mahsa Vahdat explores the music created after 1979 and the Islamic Revolution. Exploring the rich traditions of Persian classical music and what makes it classical. |
| Persian Classical Music In The Radio Age | 20230709 | Iranian singer and educator Mahsa Vahdat with the second episode of her three part series on Iranian - or Persian - classical music. In this episode she explores how the radio and recording age impacted the music, and the emergence in particular of female stars, such as Qamar and Marzieh. Mahsa explores the music of the Golha radio programmes, the immensely popular music and poetry programmes on Radio Iran that lasted for almost a quarter of a century, right up to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. We hear music that featured in the Shiraz Arts Festival in the 1970s, and the protest songs written in the era of the Shah that still to this day remain popular in the era of the Ayatollahs. Exploring the rich traditions of Persian classical music and what makes it classical. |
| The Origins Of Persian Classical Music | 20230702 | Iranian singer and educator Mahsa Vahdat begins her three part series on Iranian - or Persian - classical music. In this episode she explores the origins of the music, from the Persian empire more than 1,500 years ago, to the Maqam system that dominated for centuries, before giving way in the 19th century to the Radif system that defines Iranian or Persian classical music today. Exploring the rich traditions of Persian classical music and what makes it classical. |