Folk music band Rastak has released a new album “Spring” (Bahar in Persian) in two audio and video editions.
Spring is Rastak’s fifth album which, similar to the band’s previous albums, comprises folk songs from diverse local ethnicities. It has been released by Javan Records and distributed by Honar-Aval. Both companies are based in Tehran.
The audio edition of Spring is in CD format and its video version in DVD. The album includes seven folk songs, according to the Persian website of Musiceiranian.ir.
“Mandir,” a Lurish folk song of the Bakhtiari tribe from the western and southwestern regions, is the first track of the album. It is followed by songs from the provinces of Fars, Hormuzgan, Gilan, Kurdistan and Azarbaijan region.
Representing Hormuzgan Province is the folk piece “Norouz.” It is in the genre of “Bandari,” an energetic style of music common in Iran’s southern coastal regions in the Persian Gulf region.
Norouz (Iranian New Year) is sung to welcome the spring season.
All the songs selected for the album are part of ethnic ceremonies held to celebrate the blossoming of flowers in springtime in mid-March.
What makes the new album different from Rastak’s earlier works is the participation of notable guest performers namely contemporary Azeri tar player Ashiq Imran Heydari; folk singer, music researcher and author Nasser Vahdati; and Lurish folk singer Kourosh Asadpour.
Siamak Sepehri is the leader and tar player in the band in which Iranian instruments such as oud, setar, tanbur, daf, dayereh, doneli, ney, sorna, qanun, dohol, tombak, gheychak and kamancheh are played.
Founded in 1997 in Tehran, Rastak focuses on collecting, safeguarding and reviving Iran’s musical heritage. The band is famous for its achievements in rewriting ethnic folk songs from different regions and turning them into contemporary pieces. Virtuosity of the performers and diversity of instruments create a joyful blend of rhythm and melody.
The band has performed in some of the world’s leading venues namely London’s Barbican. Rastak’s tours in more recent years have included Australia, Europe and Canada.
