An Iranian music ensemble titled “Tar o Pood”, and it consists of six musicians. Four musicians will be playing acoustic melodic instruments.

Motifex AV Productions Presents
TAR O POOD

SATURDAY 5 MAY 2018
Doors Open 7pm

THE INDEPENDENT THEATRE
269 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2060

Tar-O-Pood (Warp & Weft)
A musical adaptation of *Nezami Ganjavi's (12th century poet) romantic epic poetry of "Khosrow and Shirin".

The true tale of "Khosrow and Shirin" as romanticized by Nezami, is the story of blossoming love between Khosrow Parviz, the Sassanian Empire prince, and the Armenian princess Shirin.

Even though Nezami has us believe that our intrinsic pride and ego might draw us rather far away from his romanticized account of this epic tale; Hamid Motebassem's depiction of this tale allows us to grasp and realize the authenticity and oneness of the love between Khosrow and Shirin.

Motebassem's artful selection of verses from Nezami's lengthily and detailed classical poetry, has enabled him to freely manifest his own inner love and passion in composition of his music. A love that Nezami believes, its importance can only be comprehended by tremendous thought.

The story of their love begins by Shapur (Khosrow's friend and famous painter), telling of Shirin the niece of "Mehin Banoo", the Queen of Armenia, and describing a vivid characterization of her flawless beauty for Khosrow. Upon seeing Khosrow in a state of ecstasy for Shirin, Shapur promises Khosrow that he will not rest until he brings the two together. He then draws a masterful painting of Khosrow and journeys on to Armenia in search of Shirin. Shapur being a wise man, learns of Shirin's whereabouts and sees to it for Shirin to stumble upon the painting of Khosrow. Shirin dazzled by glancing at the painting, and unable to keep her eyes away; by each look becomes more and more mesmerized. She having lost her heart to the man in the painting, mounts on her steed named Shabdiz and sets course for Tisfun in search of Khosrow.

Khosrow having joined a few of his fellows for hunting in the wilderness, reaches a spring, in which Shirin is bathing the dust of the journey away. He having never met Shirin, is left in absolute awe from her sheer beauty. Shirin, having her eyes covered by her soaking hair, unaware of Khosrow's glancing eyes, becomes startled once she gains vision. Quickly jumps out of the water, gets dressed, mounts Shabdiz and gallops away, as she was after all on her own journey to find the love of her life, Khosrow.

The story further continues, when the two later on once more meet but decide to ask of each other's names. By recollection of their names, they dismount their steeds, embrace each other's arms, and begin shedding tears of happiness and jubilation. Khosrow and Shirin usher each other into a love so pure, that telling them apart becomes but a hard endeavour.

Hamid Motebassem, draws the story to conclusion by illustrating the weaving of this warp (tar) and weft (pood). Khosrow being the warp and Shirin the weft.

Non-literal and adapted translation of the above Farsi text by: Arsalan Alizadeh