Razbar: Sacred Kurdish Music of East
by Nima Behnoud, New York City

The Razbar Ensemble gave the audience the excitement and enthusiasm they had come to experience. This “concert” was much more than just a musical performance. People from all over Europe, including Hamburg, Denmark, England, France, and Switzerland came to watch and support the Ensemble. The sounds of the daf (Kurdish Percussion), the 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.

Founded in 1997 by a group of Kurdish Ahl-Haqq currently residing in Germany, the members of the Razbar Ensemble are natives of Hashtgerd, a town of Kurdish culture located on the outskirts of Tehran. The Ensemble is truly revolutionary and unique in that it is the first Ahl-e Haqq group to feature both men and women performing together in a devotional context. Historically, spiritual gatherings of the Ahl-e Haqq were reserved only for men; women were not allowed to participate, let alone to sing and dance. The Ensemble’s pioneering spirit is a reflection of their firm belief in the material and spiritual equality of men and women.

The Ahl-e Haqq consider sacred music as an indispensable element for spiritual development. Music thus constitutes a central component of the devotional rituals they perform at spiritual gatherings called jams. This specific attention to music and using it for a different cause has been uniquely seen in some eastern cultures such as India, China and Turkey. Often they call this stage of enjoying the music Samma.

The hymns and melodies played by the Ensemble are those that have been historically played at these gatherings within the framework of a session of devotional chanting (intended to induce a state of profound self-reflection and a heightened consciousness of the Divine.

It is important to note that the Ensemble’s purpose is to share their spiritual music, not to stage a performance. Their adherence to the authentic structure and spirit of their musical and liturgical tradition is less a matter of an aesthetic quest than a keen sense of the sacred that recognizes the Divine in its complementary aspects of beauty and majesty. In an age when sacred art seems to have lost its aura, the Razbar Ensemble continues to radiate the light and warmth that is so vital for the soul.

For more information on concerts, go to:  http://razbar.com/de/events.html


Sources:
1- Kayhan, London Edition, No. 851; April 5, 2001
2- Rhein-Sieg Rundschau, March 27, 2001, No. 73
3- Original Article from Nima Behnoud’s weblog (http://nima.behnoud.com)
4- Razbar Ensemble Informational history.