Ârgha/nūn
Monday 24 March, 19:00
(Doors open at 18:15)
Gamle Aker Church
Adult: 400 NOK
Senior/student: 320 NOK
Child: 100 NOK
Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Mostafa Taleb, kamancheh and vocals
Jérôme Bertier, organ and vocals
Luna Silva, vocals
Shahab Azinmehr, setâr, târ and vocals
Camille Bordet-Sturla, vocals
Poetic encounter between Persian and European culture
We look forward to welcoming back Mostafa Taleb on his return to the Church Music Festival. Taleb visited us in 2023 as a part of Jordi Savall’s Orpheus 21. For this year’s festival, he is joined by the ensemble Ârgha/nūn, which he founded together with the French multi-instrumentalist Jérôme Bertier. Ârgha/nūn presents an exciting musical and poetic encounter between Persian and European culture. The ensemble has created a unique musical language, blending Western Baroque music and Persian melodies, as well Persian and European literature, both secular and religious. Bertier and Taleb started their musical collaboration through Harmonica Sacra. Here, they laid the foundation for what would later become their unique soundscape, with a common musical language based on improvisation; inspired by the poetry of Hâfez and Rûmi, and the music of J.S. Bach, Marin Marais, and M.R. Shajarian. When they invited Shahab Azinmehr, Camille Bordet-Sturla, and Luna Silva to join, all musicians from different traditions, Ârgha/nūn was a fact. Join us for an exciting and beautiful musical journey with a handful of exceptional musicians.
Mostafa Taleb is an Iranian kamancheh player and singer. He studied architecture and music in Teheran, and later travelled around his homeland where he immersed himself in kamancheh and traditional music in the Luristan area, his own home region. In 2016, he left Iran and moved to Europe. Taleb’s talent and artistic expression has been vital in overcoming the challenges of living in exile. In 2020, he founded the ensemble About that magic circle. On invitation of the recognised viola da gamba player Jordi Savall, Taleb has also performed in a number of concerts in Europe, as a member of the ensemble Orpheus 21 – Jordi Savall’s inspiring initiative to bring musicians that have fled from their home countries, onto European music stages with their rich traditional music. These cultural meetings between the East and the West have resulted in a captivating expression, even outside Orpheus 21.
Jérôme Bertier is a pianist, harpsichordist, and organist, known for his passionate improvisations and love for traditional music and old languages. He is educated from CNSMD Lyon and Freiburg Hochschule, specialising in the piano, harpsichord, and improvisation. With a mastery of repertoires ranging from the Renaissance to modern music, he performs both as a soloist and as a continuo player on five different instruments. In addition to Ârgha/nūn, Bertier plays the fortepiano in OrkesterNord (Norway) and the piano in Secession Orchestra (France). Bertier also gives harpsichord concerts in prestigious venues such as Musée de la Musiqe in Paris.
Luna Silva is a singer, lyricist, choral director, and multi-instrumentalist. She was born in France, the daughter of an English actress and a Spanish clown. Silva sings in three languages and plays several instruments. Her compositions are characterised by many intercultural journeys and experiences, combining modern music with traditional music from all corners of the world. Silva is a member of the vocal trio Samaïa, who works with Turkish and Kurdish polyphony, and she also directs her own quartet, with arrangements that explore East-European and English folk music, as well as pop, rock, and jazz.
Shahab Azinmehr was born in Teheran. He first became familiar with Persian music through singing, before immersing himself in the traditional string instruments setâr and târ. Since 2020, Azinmehr has been active in Europe both as a solo performer and chamber musician in traditional ensembles. In 2021, he released his first album for solo setâr, Showqe Mastur.
Camille Bordet-Sturla is a French mezzo-soprano. She studied singing at Hochschule Basel, and has previously achieved both a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s degree in illustration from ENSAD. Bordet-Sturla is described as a versatile artist, and her colourful artistry draws her to the opera stage as well as to traditional music – and then especially from Armenia and Iran, whose languages she can speak fluently. With a love for the Baroque, Bordet-Sturla has sung with, among others, Jordi Savall’s Capella Reial.
Photo: Jérôme Bertier: Jalidi, Shahab Azinmehr: Claramorice, Luna Silva: Ory Meuel
