Kian Soltani: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Watch Kian Soltani play “Popper: Hungarian Rhapsody“, “Schubert (arr. Soltani): ’Nacht und Träume’“ and “Soltani: Persian Fire Dance“ at the Tiny Desk. More from NPR Music: Tiny Desk Concerts: Twitter: Instagram: Aug. 16, 2019 | Tom Huizenga -- It’s not every day someone walks into our NPR Music offices and unpacks an instrument made in 1680. And yet Kian Soltani, the 27-year-old cellist who plays with the authority and poetry of someone twice his age, isn’t exactly fazed by his rare Giovanni Grancino cello, which produces large, luminous tones. (He also plays a Stradivarius.) And if you think the notion of a cello recital isn’t exactly sexy or thrilling, just take a look at Soltani; he radiates joy and ingenuity as he performs three pieces that offer virtuosity, sweet lyricism and fire. The Hungarian Rhapsody, by the late 19th century cellist and composer David Popper, traces its inspiration to similarly titled