Kurdophone

This quintet performed its debut concert in October 2017, the first album was released this spring. Kurdophone are an emergent band and therefore even more exciting. The musicians come from Iran and Austria and quite naturally bring into harmony old Kurdish melodies with Western influences. With traditional instruments like kamancheh or tanbur they are fine-tuning their own repertoire including elements from jazz, classic and contemporary music. Shortly after Kurdophone’s debut Austrian radio Ö1 raved about "a curiously vibrant message, heartfelt in its contradictions".

Kurdophone

Roots Revival

Roots Revival originally started as a Cultural Association initiated by Mehdi Aminian and with branches in Bucharest and Vienna. Since 2013 artists from 20 countries have collaborated in the project so far. Beyond stereotypes and political conflicts it was also the source for a friendship between an Iranian - Mehdi Aminian and a Syrian - Mohamad Zatari. So for the concert in Rudolstadt they chose the same name – Roots Revival and will bring along two musicians from France and Iran. The music is rooted in Syrian, Persian and Sufi music cultures, but difficult to attribute to any particular geographical identity. To the musicians their work is an expression of universal humanity and an answer to the ongoing conflicts around the world and the current tragedy in Syria in particular. Musically, it is a synergy between different instruments including ney, setar, oud, kamancheh, percussion, vocal and double bass.

Roots Revival