Mohammad-Reza Shajarian in Conversation (Part 2)

by Brian Howe May 10, 2012

In our rather rapturous live review of classical Persian singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian’s DPAC concert with the Shahnaz Ensemble, we included a video of Shajarian’s public conversation with Duke’s Amir Rezvani (check it out here). Today we’ve got the second part of that video, which includes some impromptu instrumental demonstrations from the phenomenal Shahnaz, and you…click to continue…

Read More

Music in the Gardens Video Bonanza

by Brian Howe May 8, 2012

As was recently announced, Duke Performances’ summertime Music in the Gardens series, which presents affordable concerts in a lovely outdoor environment, will feature some of the Triangle’s most vital bands in 2012. Watch this space in the coming weeks for preview coverage. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up this bumper crop of videos for each…click to continue…

Read More

Live Review: Mohammad-Reza Shajarian and the Shahnaz Ensemble

by Brian Howe May 4, 2012

On the evening of Saturday, April 28, a convivial mood prevailed in the Durham Performing Arts Center. It felt like the Triangle’s entire Persian population had converged to hear Iran’s most popular classical singer, and the crowded lobby was filled with the sound of conversation in Farsi and the honeyed aroma of baklava. In the…click to continue…

Read More

Interview: M. Ward Braves the Wasteland

by John Schacht May 2, 2012

Listening to the songs of Portland’s M. Ward can be pleasantly disorienting, in the temporal sense. That old finger-picked blues would sound like it came off acetate at the turn of the 20th century were it not for the synthesized radio static that swaddles it. This Louis Armstrong cover sounds like a modern rock track…click to continue…

Read More

Hear a Conversation with Mohammad-Reza Shajarian

by Brian Howe May 1, 2012

On the evening before his memorable performance with the Shahnaz Ensemble at DPAC—we’ll have a report on that soon—the modern master of classical Persian singing, Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, joined moderator Omid Safi and translator Amir Rezvani for a public dialogue in the Nelson Music Room, as a part of Duke Performances’ Artists-in-Residence series. Today, we’re pleased…click to continue…

Read More

Duke Performances Unveils Summer Season

by Brian Howe April 27, 2012

There are a number of great shows packed into the last two months of Duke Performances 2011/12 season. For all you indie rockers, there’s M. Ward and Lee Ranaldo on May 15. For classical lovers, the Artemis String Quartet performs music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Astor Piazzolla on April 28. And for anyone interested in…click to continue…

Read More