The upcoming multimedia project, “Abstractum,” will showcase contemporary Iranian music and dance that transcend cultural boundaries. 

Scheduled to take place in Stewart Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 17, the event features compositions by Iranian composers, accompanied by piano, flute and a student dance performance.

Abstractum features Kelariz Keshavarz, assistant professor of flute at Western Carolina University, and Olga Kleiankina, teaching professor of piano at NC State, performing their most recent album, “Abstractum,” composed by Iranian composer Alireza Mashayekhi with other works by Reza Vali and Amin Sharifi. 

Photography by Nesam Keshavarz and a student performance by State Dance Company member Ariana Fajerman will accompany the event.

“Abstractum” is a part of Kelariz Keshavarz’s larger mission to expose Western audiences to Iranian contemporary music.

“My aim was to portray the contemporary music scene in Iran through flute,” Kelariz Keshavarz said. “I wanted it to be apart from political or political aspects or relationships of the countries. I just wanted to focus on the art and the music that is being created in that part of the world.”

Kelariz Keshavarz said contemporary Iranian music is not confined to the traditional Persian music that most people associate with Iran. 

Contemporary Iranian music is varied. Sometimes it incorporates Persian folk music, feelings and symbolism associated with Iran. Other times, it is simply composed by an Iranian composer, with no clear ties to pre-existing Iranian musical traditions.

“You see pieces that you hear absolutely nothing about Persian music, and then the source of inspiration of those pieces is also not Iranian or Persian related,” Kelariz Keshavarz said. “Composers in that category, they intentionally want it to be free of any sort of obligation of having anything connected to Persian culture.”

The beauty of contemporary Iranian music lies in its adaptability to tie cultures together in a display of what Kelariz Keshavarz defines as multiculturalism through music.

“So many elements from different cultures, so many musical elements, aesthetics from different cultures, they all get together, and they weave in one piece,” Kelariz Keshavarz said. “And this is more than a collage. This is more than just juxtaposing these qualities, these qualities have some overlaps. And as a result of this overlapping, they create new qualities.”

Kelariz Keshavarz said Mashayekhi’s music echoes ancient Persian tradition, using contemporary instruments.

“I can hear the beautiful nature and the folk song tradition from Iran, and ancient culture — this culture that goes thousands of years ago,” Kelariz Kershavarz said. “Some of the techniques we use in piano and flute are trying to sound like ancient Iranian instruments.”

Contemporary Iranian music is not structured the same way Western classical music is. Mashayekhi’s difference from Western tradition allows for a more unitary approach to duet music and introduces sounds and feelings that are uncommon to portray through music.

“I think Mashayekhi is a genius in the way he makes an ensemble between piano and flute,” Kleiankina said. “It’s not like a piano concerto with some flute there in the background, or at the same time, it’s not like diminishing the role [of] that piano; it’s just using the two instruments as equal partners.”

Mashayekhi’s departure from Western tradition allows for a more revolutionary approach to playing flute and piano, creating sounds seldom heard in Western instrumental music.

“He’s very creative in the ways he uses technique and new techniques for flute playing, but also new techniques for piano playing,” Kleiankina said. “Sometimes you hear heartbeat, … sometimes you hear madness, screams or a gunshot. … I think your imagination can just go while listening to this music.”

Contemporary Iranian music follows a recent push to expand the Western musical canon to include music from cultures beyond the United States and Europe.

“For a very long time, the classical concerts were programming composers from five or six countries, out of 196 countries in the world,” Kleiankina said. “In the last 50 years, there was a conscious effort to break from a certain trend and try to explore something new, try to explore new sounds, maybe use electronics, but break the canon.” 

It is important to include contemporary Iranian music in the West’s musical scope because of the lessons it can teach in bringing cultures together through music.

“We should not forget that now, there are so many cultures in the world, and these cultures themselves could be an inspiration,” Kleiankina said. “When we look at this Iranian school of composition, we understand that they [are] as isolated as it seems, but they’ve absorbed a lot of influences from other countries. … So they were able to absorb the influences from other countries and produce something very unique.”

“Abstractum” will be performed 4-5:30 p.m. in Stewart Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 17. Tickets are on sale via Ticket Central.

Information in this article, originally published Sept. 13, 2023, has been corrected. Multiple instances of Olga Kleiankina’s name have been corrected.