The Sound of Freedom | An audio-visual concert with musicians from Afghanistan, Iran and Germany

What does freedom sound like? The Campus Project of the 2023 Beethovenfest Bonn will answer this question with an extraordinary concert featuring ’comprovisation’—a way of mixing music that utilizes planned composition and spontaneous improvisation. Young Musicians from Afghanistan, Iran, and Germany participate in these performances, which will begin with poems recited in Dari, Pashto or Farsi. Traditional Afghan and Persian instruments will also be included in the ensemble of classical European instruments. Audiences can expect a multicultural experience that will channel sorrow and wonder. The music tells a story about faraway places and loss, longing and freedom, and—most importantly—the musicians themselves. Accompanied by insightful video clips, the concert explores common paths between oppression and the desire for freedom, creating an audio-visual experience that combines contemporary political discourse with universally human concerns. The concert will take place in the University of Bonn’s auditorium. Participants include young musicians from Iran as well as the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, the trans traditional Trickster Orchestra, and members of the German Federal Youth Orchestra. German-Iranian singer, composer and conductor Cymin Samawatie will lead the ensemble. They will perform in accordance with the motto, “tantôt libre tantôt recherchée“ (“partly free, partly bound“), which Beethoven used to preface his Grosse Fuge (op. 133). Elements that are fixed (composed) and loose (improvised) join hands on this evening. Program: Beethoven Palimpsest Composition by Vivan & Ketan Bhatti, first performance World Premiere Andoh az marz megozarad (Suffering Crosses Borders). Poem by Mariam Meetra/Comprovisation by Mona Matbou Riahi Maa shodane nou be nou (The New Us) Poem and composition by Cymin Samawatie, World Premiere Baad maa ra ba khood khaahad burd (The Wind Will Blow Us Away) Poem by Forough Farrokhzad/Comprovisation by Taiko Saito Hasrat (Longing) Poem by Shafiqa Khpalwak/Comprovisation by Susanne Fröhlich Azadi sedaje tust (Freedom Is Your Voice) Poem by Mariam Meetra/Composition by Cymin Samawatie World Premiere Intermission Sar zamine man (My Country) Trad. Armenian, arr. by Mohammad Qambar Nawshad & Tiago Moreira da Silva World Premiere of the arrangement Watan janat nesha (My Homeland As Paradise) Trad. Afghan, arr. by Mohammad Qambar Nawshad World premiere of the arrangement Anar Anar (Pomegranate Pomegranate) Trad. Afghan, arr. by Mohammad Qambar Nawshad & Tiago Moreira da Silva, World premiere of the arrangement A World Full of Surprises Improvisation De Boodai Kachkool (An Old Woman’s Begging Bowl) Poem by Parveen Malal, vocals: Asia Mehrabi Comprovisation by Asia Mehrabi & Cymin Samawatie The Power of Silence Comprovisation by Cymin Samawatie Artists: CAMPUS PROJECT ORCHESTRA Musicians of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music Musicians of the Barenboim Said Academy Members of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany Members of Trickster Orchestra Cymin Samawatie | DIRECTOR Tiago da Silva | FLUTE & CONDUCTOR Mona Matbou Riahi | CONDUCTOR Mariam Meetra | RECITATION Asia Mehrabi | VOCALS The Campus Project started in February 2023, in the northern Portuguese city of Braga. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) found refuge here after being exiled by the Taliban when they seized power on August 15th, 2021. Once again, instruments are being set on fire in Afghanistan. In the 1990s, during the first Taliban rule, images of burning instruments filled the news. The Taliban persecutes and ostracizes musicians and artists. Similarly, the Iranian mullah regime severely restricts the rights of women—controlling their public appearances and violently cracking down on critics and protesters, including numerous artists. As neighbors, Afghanistan and Iran share a rich culture; and one of their languages, Dari, is spoken in both countries. In many ways, both peoples are fighting for the same freedoms and rights, despite the complexities and differences between their current political environments and conflicting histories. The concert is a highlight for the Campus Project, a traditional collaboration between Deutsche Welle and the Beethovenfest Bonn. Conceived in 2001, the idea behind the Campus Project is to provide young musicians from all around the world with the opportunity to meet, share ideas, and perform together. In previous years, German musicians have played concerts with young instrumentalists and vocalists from Brazil, China, Iraq, South Africa, India, Mexico, Ukraine and Belarus. © 2023 Deutsche Welle Thumbnail photo: © Philipp Seliger Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall: Subscribe to DW Classical Music: #afghanistan #iran #fullconcert