Albums

I Am Eve

Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat join their voices in I Am Eve, an album composed, arranged and produced by Atabak Elyasi and released by Kirkelig Kulturverksted in Norway (www.kkv.no). It was conceived, born and recorded in Iran and mixed and mastered in Norway and Sweden The album has melodic elements from the Persian classical tradition, adapted by the Vahdat sisters and Atabak Elyasi. Poems are by contemporary poets of Iran, including Azar Khajavi and Layegh Shir Ali, and by such classical poets as Rumi, Baba Taher and Tahereh Qorratolein.

Musicians who have worked on this album are Christophe Rezai (vocal), Pasha Hanjani and Amir Eslami (ney), Shervin Mohajer (kamancheh), Shahram Gholami (oud), Ali Razmi and Atabak Elyasi (setar), Reza Asgarzadeh (duduk), Babak Riahipour (bass), Ali Rahimi (daf and percussion). The album will be released on 1 September 2008.

Songs from a Persian Garden

Produced by Erik Hillestad, this CD is based on a live recording at the summer residence of the Italian Embassy in Tehran on 22 May 2007. Accompanying the voice of Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat are musicians from Norway and Iran under the supervision of blues guitarist Knut Reiersrud. Proceeds from the concert went towards helping disabled children of the province of Sistan in Iran.

Lullabies from the Axis of Evil

This CD includes lullabies from Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, North Korea, Syria and Cuba, accompanied by singers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, etc. Lullaby is a natural musical form that deeply affects the listener in its simplicity. The title of this CD refers to the US president George W. Bush’s remark. Producer Eric Hillestad traveled to these countries to record lullabies for Voggersanger fra ondskapensakse. The CD was released by Kirkelig Kulturverksted (www.kkv.no) .

Risheh dar khak (Roots in the Ground)

The composer of this album is Pejman Taheri and its publisher Ava-ye Barbad (www.barbadmusic.com). Compositions strive to find a new language that combines classical Persian music with new poetic forms.