Rumi Symphony Project: Untold

The fierce ambition of Persian composer Hafez Nazeri seems boundless. Taking inspiration and lyrics from the poet-mystic Rumi, he succeeds in reconciling Eastern and Western classical music by tracing the emergence of life and mankind’s voyage through it with multi-movement chapters on the Big Bang (“Creation”), life (“Existence”), humankind’s spiritual awakening (“Untold”), and heaven or our next plane of being (“Eternal Return”). Several years in the making with early performances at Carnegie Hall and concert halls around the world, this features the legendary Persian singer Shahram Nazeri (the composer’s father), percussionist Zakir Hussain, a small string section, and a large chorus, as well as the composer singing and playing his modified setar, which is a member of the lute family. While The Silk Road Ensemble take a global approach to traditional and classical music, that group is generally more focused on the soloists and a broad range of composers; this is more composition-based, with elaboration and variation typical of Eastern traditions. The entire voyage is rewarding.