Reflections of Persian classical music

Duo Rokhs was created in winter 2021 by musicians Sogol Mirzaei and Hossein Rad, with the aim of interpreting the classical Persian music repertoire without restricting themselves to a particular period or region of the Iranian world.

Creation

Duo Rokhs was created in winter 2021 by musicians Sogol Mirzai and Hossein Rad, with the aim of interpreting the classical Persian music repertoire without
restricting themselves to a particular period or region of the Iranian world. Through a fusional dialogue between the târ and the voice, the duo takes care of preserving the simplicity and sobriety of this repertoire, while offering an original and personal interpretation – an originality that is felt in the sound and instrumental technique of Sogol Mirzaei, and the particular timbre and vocal techniques of Hossein Rad, rarely heard in this repertoire.

The quartet

A year after the duo’s creation, two renowned young musicians joined the project to enrich its sonic horizon and creative imagination: Yasamin Shahhosseini on oud and Sina Danesh on kamancheh. The Rokhs Quartet was
created in 2022. Today, the two groups continue their parallel paths. Where the quartet offers a universe closer to that of a “classical” Persian music ensemble, more sonorous and diverse, with more complex forms and arrangements, the duo offers a more personal repertoire and functions as a laboratory of ideas, where the inspiration and background of each musician prevails and opens up a more intimate and
confidential world.

Sogol Mirzaei

Târ

Sogol Mirzaei is a rising star of Persian music in the western scene. She first trained under master musicians Houshang Zarif and Arshad Tahmasebi in Tehran, and performed on the most prestigious stages of the country. Now based in Paris where she moved to pursue academic studies in musicology at the Sorbonne, she is involved in numerous eclectic and successful projects, such as Jordi Savall’s Orpheus 21 and Accords Croisés’ headliners (Atine, Sowal Diabi) with which she performs around the world ; while she also shines as a soloist and within her own project Chakam Ensemble, which she founded in 2014, where her inspired compositions meet the authentic tradition.

Hossein Rad

Vocals, dârayeh, tombak

Hossein Rad is a Geneva-based musician and music producer, born in Tehran. He began learning music with his father at an early age, and he has constantly sought to further his musical knowledge of the vocal and instrumental repertoires of Iranian classical music since, with important maestros such as Ali Bayâni, Djamchid Chemirani, Hamid-Reza Khalatbari, as well as western vocal technics with Muriel Ferraro. His interests reaching far and wide, he has devoted considerable attention to the different traditional repertoires of the region, namely those of Central Asia which he approached under guidance of Jean During. Hossein is the founder of Horan Sounds, a non-profit music agency which supports Iran-based musicians and promotes their projects abroad.