Rebellious Solitude

The Persian mode of Dashti was chosen as a suitable medium to communicate 'Rebellious Solitude' state of mind. Throughout the album, you will hear the dual aspects of an ongoing internal conflict. Sometimes it is calm, introverted, contemplative and lonely; while at other times, there are musical expressions of unrest, struggle, contradiction and resistance. The clash of these two states is demonstrated through changes in tempo, variable notes of Dashti, expressive nuances and jumps from highs to lows and vice versa. The santour (also spelled santur and santoor) is a trapezoidal box zither, or more commonly known as a hammered dulcimer, played with two light wooden mallets. The typical Persian santour has 72 strings stretched over two sets of nine bridges for the bass and treble registers respectively. Across the world, the santour is a popular instrument for playing traditional, early music or folk songs while the Persian santour is considered a classical instrument taught widely at music conservatories and university programs and is an integral part of a Persian music ensemble. Pejman Azarmina (born in 1973, Tehran) is a composer and santour player based in New York. He started studying the santour at age 11 with Master Faramarz Payvar (1933-2009) and graduated from his private class after completing the 'Advanced Repertoire for the Santour' in 1994. Azarmina's works include Shabdiz, Old Persian Dances (Renghaye 7 Dastgah), Persian Nostalgia as well as several unpublished song cycles and quartets. In addition to recitals in Tehran and London, he has given many educational concerts at a number of academic institutions across the UK. Azarmina's style of performance is perhaps one of the closest to that of late Master Payvar, yet his interpretation of Persian music is very lean, expressive, and contemporary. Credits: Santour: Pejman Azarmina, Producer: Pejman Azarmina Recorded and Mixed at MixLab by Sam Skaf, Mastered at Sam Skaf Mastering Design: Hamid Rahmanian, Photography: Miranda Parry, MPP Image Creation Composers: Rebellious Solitude by Pejman Azarmina; Caravan by Abolhasan Saba arranged for the santour by Pejman Azarmina; All other songs by Faramarz Payvar (from the Advanced Repertoire for the Santour, 8 Pieces for the Santour and Chamber Music Pieces for the Santour) Persian song titles: 1. Rebellious Solitude (Nrm) 2. Into the Fields (Darmad) 3. Farmers' Dance (Chhrmezrb) 4. Out of the Fields (Darmad-e Dovvom) 5. Offbeat (Oshgh) 6. Upbeat (Semezrb) 7. Ascent (Zirkesh-e Salmak) 8. A Bird (Parand) 9. A Willow's Blossom (Bidgoli) 10. Hoopoe (Poupak) 11. Bamboo's Tale (Masnavi) 12. Caravan (Krvn)