In the Press
Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2002, World Music Review
It's not quite appropriate to describe the appearance by the Razbar Ensemble at the Wadsworth Theatre on Saturday night as a "performance." Despite its entertaining aspects, the event is more correctly identified as a devotional experience.
The Razbar Ensemble, based in Germany since it was organized in 1997, consists of Kurdish members of the Ahl-e Haqq, a mystical Sufi order founded in the 15th century. The makeup of the Razbar Ensemble reflects the Ahl-e Haqq willingness—rare in such orders—to permit men and women to take part together in devotional celebrations.
Their presentation consisted of two segments. The first was a djamm, or gathering, focused around the chanting and ecstatic expression of zekr—spiritual hymns and poetry. The second was a Tchuppi dance in which a line of colorfully garbed female dancers, moving through the hopping and skipping steps characteristic of the genre, combined with a group of males to simulate a wedding party.
It was the opening segment, however, that created the most impact. The 20-plus members of the ensemble, dressed in white and seated on the floor of the stage, were accompanied by players of the tanbur, a long-necked, lute-like instrument; the kamancheh, or spiked fiddle; and the daf, or frame drum. The music was trance-like, intended to build spiritual ecstasy rather than display instrumental virtuosity.
As the intensity of the music, rhythms and chanting built, individual members entered their own realms of spirituality, bodies moving, arms waving, heads turning. In the audience, the aisles filled with people responding in similarly fervent fashion—a remarkable display of the Razbar Ensemble's capacity to generate transcendent powers of communal expression.
Kayhan, London Edition, No. 851; April 5, 2001
The Ensemble roars to life on stage, as the music gradually increases in intensity until they lose themselves in movement and dancing ... The thunder of the drum rips through the air—it is a moment of selflessness for the performers and audience alike. Nothing stands still; this music, which springs from the soul, magically penetrates the hearts of the listeners. It pulsates from the stage and throughout the hall. Uncontrolled tears of joy flow as the power unleashed by the ensemble transforms emotions.
The tanbur player’s subtle fingers glide gracefully across the strings of the instrument. The energy level and skill of the young drummer is overwhelming. Prof. Jean During, a musicologist and Vice President of Research at CNRS, made the following remark after the performance: “In an era when sacred art has lost its original aura under the projectors of the playhouse and the media, the Razbar Ensemble is one of the rare sources that continues to radiate the light and warmth that is so vital for the soul.”
Extra Blatt, Wednesday, April 4, 2001; St. Augustin
The Razbar Ensemble filled the audience with excitement and enthusiasm. This “concert” was actually much more than just a musical performance, as people from all over Europe came from such places as Hamburg, Denmark, England, France, and Switzerland to watch and support the Ensemble. The sounds of the large frame drums (daf) and the stringed instruments (tanbur and kamanche) were fascinating… At the end of the program, ten women appeared on stage and danced to the rhythm of the drums in long, colorful, glittering robes, which were as exotic as the East itself. They were joined by several men as the dance accelerated in intensity and volume. Many in the audience could no longer bear to remain seated as they, too, began dancing in the aisles…
General Anzeiger, March 28, 2001, No. 33804; St. Augustin
The Razbar Ensemble eloquently demonstrated that Jam is a gathering accompanied by sacred music in which the participants are in a state of devotion and prayer. Augustin’s councillor Konrad Seigfried welcomed the Ensemble to the Assembly Hall and was very receptive to learning about this relatively unknown culture. The group’s presentation was full of grace and marked by considerable celebration. Especially interesting was the second half of the performance, when ten female dancers with splendid colorful robes joined the musicians on stage.
Rhein-Sieg Rundschau, March 27, 2001, No. 73
The spiritual chants and dances of the Razbar Ensemble were the center of attention as 30 men and women knelt down and began a “zekr” on stage. For approximately 40 minutes the members of the Ensemble sang with their eyes closed and moved to the rhythm of the music, which gradually reached a gripping intensity as the tempo and volume steadily increased. The chants and motions of the men and women matched the intensity of the music as some of the performers sprang forward on their knees and fell into a state of ecstasy so intense they had to be contained by observers.
Rhien-Sieg Anzeiger, March 26, 2001, No. 72
The concert in St. Augustin began with a detailed prayer … the music that followed was played with a sense of yearning. Its purpose was to heighten the feeling of humility before God, as well as to awaken both in the listener and the performers the memory of the heavenly origin of human beings. During the concert the atmosphere intensified greatly, as many in the audience began to dance impulsively… After a lavish stage-show the musicians relinquished, signifying that reverence for God’s beauty and majesty takes precedence over the aesthetic aspect of the Ensemble’s performance.
Kayhan, London Edition, No. 675; September 25, 1997
On the 30th and 31st of August, 1997 in Bonn, Beethoven’s birthplace, a group of the Ahl-e Haqq—a mystical order within Persian Sufism—performed some of their rituals for the public.
The program consisted of three parts, the first two being sacred rituals, and the third a traditional performance. The first ritual was a spiritual gathering (jam) that consisted of religious customs like prayer, chanting, and the consumption of blessed food. During the second part, spiritual chants (zekr) were accompanied by an exciting and energetic dance. The zekr began with the singing of verses that were repeated by a chorus. The singing gradually increased in energy until the members of the chorus reached a special state of ecstasy, free from the constraints of time and space. The exciting tones of the tanbur (lute) and daf (frame drum) galvanized the chorus. All the performers danced and moved to the music, some standing, others remaining seated. The powerful movements and the strong, impressive voices created a stimulating and overwhelming atmosphere. The audience couldn’t stay indifferent either and even began moving themselves! The hall shook as the Europeans in the audience as well as the Persians lost themselves in the music. Some of the performers were moved to tears in their state of ecstasy, while many of the audience couldn’t control their own desire to cry out, sing, and move to the music. As the sounds vibrated throughout the entire body, even Dr. Annemarie Schimmel, the famous expert on Islam, had to move in her seat. This state of spiritual ecstasy continued for several minutes before the atmosphere slowly calmed down again.
The third part, the performance of several traditional Kurdish dances, was of an entirely different nature. The Kurds, both men and women, came onto the stage dressed in multi-colored robes, perhaps a reflection of Persia’s colorful nature. The dances were simple but attractive, and restored a feeling of peace to the hall, much needed after the stormy ecstasy of the music. As the roaring river of zekr changed into the quiet flow of folkloric dances, the evening of Ahl-e Haqq rituals came to a soothing end in Bonn.
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