Iranian folk music wows Omanis

(MENAFN- Arab News) MUSCAT: The sharp sound of a sorna an Iranian oboe-like instrument pierced the silence of Muscat's Royal Opera House. Tandem drums drove an urgent rhythm and a chorus of voices rose in volume to fill the auditorium.
Hundreds of Omanis turned out to welcome the 14 members of the Rastak ensemble to their capital and drink in the sounds of Iranian folk music.
The sorna player a young and playful man who would pick up half a dozen instruments during the evening skipped to the front of the stage and urged the audience a mix of Omanis Iranians Indians and Westerners to clap along.
Rastak founded in 1997 by a group of music students in Tehran has brought its energetic brand of Iranian folk music to some of the world's leading venues including London's Barbican but Thursday's one-night performance was its first in the Gulf.
Tar player Siamak Sepehri who leads the group said he firmly believed in music. But Rastak's primary mission is to reconcile the diversity of Iran's own musical traditions.
'We are trying to combine the regional sounds that are well known with those that are less well known' he said.
Sepehri born in Tehran has roots in the southern city of Shiraz and the northern province of Mazanderan bordering the Caspian sea. Rastak's members can trace their heritage to at least 17 of Iran's 31 provinces he said.