4 stars

Iranian-Australian tar (Iranian lute) virtuoso and composer Hamed Sadeghi’s concert EMPTY VOICES was a revelation and a delight.

A very talented band of musicians joined him on stage to bring his latest compositions to life. Joining him in a line across the stage were revered jazz musicians Sandy Evans on tenor and soprano saxophone, Paul Cutlan on bass clarinet, Lloyd Swanton on double bass along withnewcomers Michael Avgenicos on alto saxophone, Thomas Avgenicos on trumpet and Adam Yilmaz on percussions.

In the program Sadeghi writes that his music is strongly influenced by Persian Sufism philosophy. One of the central tenants of Sufism is that, “to be able to love someone or something honestly you need to be able to let yourself dissolve”.

His compositions paid homage to ancient Persian influences and featured an intriguing and rich blend of  classical and contemporary  music traditions of both Eastern and Western cultures.

The hour long reverie, sadly, had to come to an end. Ah, but what a treat…

Part of the Sydney Opera House’s UNWRAPPED Festival, EMPTY VOICES was performed for one day only on Sunday 14th May with two performances at 3pm and 6pm.

Featured image – Hamed  Sadeghi on the tar (Iranian lute) is second from the left. Production photography by Maria Boyadgis