Zange Shotor Chargah (comp. Ehsan Yadollahi) – arr. for tar solo and orchestra

duration: ca 8’

instrumentation: tar (amplified) + 2.2.2.2-4.2.3.1-timp+4-str

arranged in 2019 for Continuo

first performance: 2019-06-09 by Ehsan Yadollahi, Kevin Hendrickx and Continuo at De Centrale, Gent

programme note: 

This piece, by tar-player Ehsan Yadollahi, draws from a traditional Iranian rhythm and motif representing the sound of bells carried by camels, more specifically the sound of the camel first stepping uphill and then descending again on the other side of the hill. This idea was developed into a composition, which also leaves space for improvisation.

For Ehsan, the image of the camel crossing the hill is a reflection of the ups and downs that everyone faces in their lives and how we deal with them. For instance, how do people cope when anincident occurs in their lives, how do they deal with the problem, how do they find a solution to eventually return to a normal life?

The composition was harmonised and orchestrated by Ward, in dialogue with Ehsan. As such, the Persion traditions and the Western conventions of orientalist portrayal are both at the source of this arrangement. In this way, something was created which is neither ethnically authentic, nor a mere gaze on another culture, but an attempt was done to integrate both’s heritage and perspectives.