Razbar Ensemble (Iran)

The Ahl-e Haqq (literally 'Followers of the Truth') is a Fifteenth century religious order founded by Soltân Eshâq. The order has given rise to many a remarkable poet and musician. Even today, there are around a million followers living mainly in the Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq and Turkey. They have been honouring certain rituals and songs for about six hundred years. For the Ahl-e Haqq, music is the essential medium for spiritual development. Central element are the Jams, repetitive hymns; devotional chanting intended to induce a state of profound self-reflection and a heightened consciousness of the Divine. The members of the Razbar Ensemble all come from Hashtgerd near Teheran. They are one of the few orders, which allow women and men to sing together in the devotional context. The songs are accompanied by a tanbur (an archaic lute), daf (a frame drum) and other percussion instruments. A concert by the Razar Ensemble is an ecstatic ritual in which the seated singers passionately transmit the intensity of their experience.