Land Scape: Album Release Concert by TEMBER Ensemble and Guests
Artists:
Petros Tzekos (Percussion)
in the Kantine of B.L.O. Ateliers – free entrance
Land Scape: Album Release Concert by TEMBER Ensemble
Tember is a Transcultural Electroacoustic Music Ensemble formed in Berlin by ALIREZA OSTOVAR (composer, producer & live-electronics performer) in collaboration with AZIN ZAHEDI (Flutist & Santur player) with the aim of creating innovative music with new sound timbre and unique atmospheres using both traditional and contemporary (electroacoustic) music elements and techniques. Tember Ensemble works with several guest musicians and artists.
Tember’s second album, Land Scape is with the participation of Pouria Solhjou (tanbur player & singer), exploring innovative sounds and compositional possibilities focusing on Tanbur’s sounds and Kurdish maqams (melodies).
Like Tember’s first album “La Makan”, this album is inspired by spiritual insights mainly from Iranian mystic and traditional music, especially religious Kurdish music (Ahl-e Haq) and poetry in the south Kurdish language.
The tracks of this album subtly tell the story of a spiritual journey that each of us might experience in our way.
O heart trapped, O heart, you are trapped. You are stuck in a trap.
Every happiness turns into a failure. Whatever you do brings you disgrace.
The more medicine I give you for the pain, the more you suer. How long are you looking for useless fantasies?
Your mind is never comfortable, even for an hour.
The grief and illusion don’t leave your life for a short moment. Sweets become regrets for you, and bitterness makes you cry. O heart, you are trapped. O heart, you are trapped.
(Poem by Seyd Yaghub Mahidashti)
The concert will be improvisation music based on both albums tracks with the participation of:
ALIREZA OSTOVAR is an interdisciplinary artist, freelancer composer, producer, sound engineer/designer, researcher, music teacher, and performance artist, currently based in Berlin. In 2014, he wrote his bachelor thesis about “Multicultural Music,” focusing on “Electronic Music inspired by Persian classical music” by presenting a piece for prepared Santur and live-electronics, called “Le Corde Sul Corpo,” which goes beyond the sound and limits of the traditional instrument. Alireza has focused on “real-time sound processing” and performing “live-electronic” in his composition and realizing/performing some other composers’ electronics parts. He received a degree in Electroacoustic Music Interpretation (Max/MSP) from IRCAM during the Manifest Academy in 2017. Alireza Ostovar completed his master’s studies in “Integrative Composition” at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen in 2018. He has written his master’s thesis about “Transcultural Electroacoustic Music”. Alireza has worked as a freelance composer, musician, sound designer, and performance artist on different projects.
AZIN ZAHEDI, born in 1991 in Tehran, showed her musical talent at an early age. She started playing the Flute at the age of 7 and later at the music conservatory the Santur (Persian Dulcimer).
In 2010 she began her Bachelor studies majoring in the ute at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen with Martina Overlöper and graduated in 2014 with high distinction.
Afterwards she commenced a Master of Performance with Prof. Christina Fassbender at the HfM Würzburg and later at the Berlin University of the Arts, of which she completed successfully also with high honors.
Azin Zahedi has gathered inspiration and guidance from world- renowned musicians including Emmanuel Pahud, Prof. Andrea Lieberknecht, Prof. Claudia Stein, Prof. Renate Greiss-Armin, Prof. Reto Bieri, Prof. Gunhild Ott, etc.
She is currently freelancing as a musician/music teacher in Berlin and a permanent member of the wind quintet “Solhmido”, “Babylon Orchestra Berlin”, ”TEMBER Ensemble”.
POURIA SOLHJOU Born in 1982 in Kermanshah in western Iran, he moved to Tehran in 1996 accompanied by his family. Pouria Studied law and Began writing short stories at the age of 20, which have appeared in a number of magazines. As a child, he learned to play some musical instruments.
Since the age of eighteen he has been intensively involved with the instrument tanbour (a stringed instrument traditionally played in connection with mystical celebrations and experiences).
In order to be able to turn to this instrument professionally, he took lessons from Alireza Feyze Bashipour. He is familiar with the history and tradition of the instrument and tries to incorporate this into his playing style.
In 2012 Pouria emigrated to Germany and has been living in Berlin since 2013.