Meyjana Trio
The musicians of the Meyjana Trio Rabie Azar (Viola), Salim Salari (Tar) and Ramin Rahmi (Percussion/Vocals) combine their musical traditions – including improvisation – to create something new, merging sounds from Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Syria and the Balkans as well as elements of European classical music. The artistic expression covers a broad spectrum: from melancholic, moving and energetic to light-hearted, exuberant and cheerful.
In Azerbaijan and Persia, the word meyjana (Azerbaijani: meyxana, Persian: میخانه ) refers to a kind of meeting place, a bar where people meet, exchange ideas and discuss with each other – sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly, sometimes amusingly, sometimes enlightening. In the folk literature of Azerbaijan and Arabic cultures, meyjana refers to a poem of an improvisational nature, consisting of stanzas of four verses each, the first three verses of which offer space for improvisation and controversial points of view, while the fourth is treated as a constant refrain – often with a thematic reference to politics, society or love. Inspired by this, the music of the Meyjana Trio thrives on the inspiring combination of different (musical) cultures with elements of improvisation.
Rabie Azar studied viola in Damascus and is trained in classical European, traditional and classical Arabic music as well as contemporary pop music. He was a member of the Syrian National Orchestra, the National Syrian Orchestra of Arabic Music and the Mediterranean Orchestra, among others. International tours have taken him to Spain, Italy, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates. Rabie Azar has also taught violin and viola at Al Baath University in Homs and the Sulhi al Wadi Institute for Music in Damascus. He is a founding member, composer and arranger of the Bridges Kammerorchester and a member of the Bridges ensembles Meyjana Trio and Lel.
Salim Salari has been playing the Azerbaijani long-necked lute Tar since the age of thirteen and was a member of various ensembles and orchestras in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan in Iran, including the Radio Chamber Orchestra. He has lived in Germany since 2016 and plays in the Bridges Kammerorchester, for which he also composes, as well as in the Bridges ensembles Turnalar Quartet and Meyjana Trio. Salim Salari also completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering.
Ramin Rahmi began his musical career at the age of four with the Persian percussion instruments tombak and daf, before studying the Persian long-necked lute tar and musicology at the Tehran Conservatory of Music. He continued his training at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and also studied with highly respected masters of traditional Persian music such as Mohamadreza Lotfi and Hosein Alizadeh. Ramin Rahmi has performed in Iran, Italy, Germany, Sweden, France and Russia. He is a founding member of the Bridges Kammerorchester and also a member of various Bridges Ensembles.
Ensemble
Rabie Azar Viola
Salim Salari Tar
Ramin Rahmi Percussion/Vocals
Fotos © Salar Baygan
Booking
Christian Sebastian Nickel
booking@bridges-kammerorchester.de
+49 (0)151 68560215