For this concert, the Circadian String Quartet--Monika Gruber & David Ryther, violins, Omid Assadi, viola and David Wishnia, cello--teams up with Iranian-born santour virtuoso Hamid Taghavi. They'll explore themes of coming together and "yeganegi", or uniting in times of crisis, with music by Reza Vali, Sahba Aminikia, and Hamid Taghavi, representing two generations of Persian-American composers. Weaving through and uniting the program will be chiaroscuros, or short interludes, by David Ryther based on poetry by Rumi and read by narrator Dr. Nikolaus Hohmann.
The Circadian Quartet is a Bay Area-based string quartet that performs classical and contemporary string quartet repertoire with an emphasis on music of cultural and folkloric significance. In 2014, they were invited to collaborate with the St. Petersburg-based Rimsky Korsakov String Quartet during its North American tour. They have also given U.S. premieres of pieces by world-renowned British composer Ian Venables in collaboration with mezzo-soprano Sally Munro of the San Francisco Opera and Natalie Parker, principal clarinetist of the San Francisco Ballet.
Hamid Taghavi is considered one of the best santour players of his generation. Hear him playing a santour solo here.
Join us on November 16th for a cross-cultural exchange that's not to be missed.
Fifth Street Farms has been presenting house concerts in Berkeley for over twenty years. Reservations are required and can be made online at www.fifthstfarms.com/reservations. The cost is $20 per person, paid at the door. All proceeds go to the musicians. Doors open at 7pm, concert at 7:30. Guests are welcome to bring snacks or drinks to share. There's a terrace (weather permitting) for mingling before and after concerts and during intermission. Visit www.fifthstfarms.com for more information.