CRADLING the instrument he's been playing for four decades, Hossein Behroozinia launches into an astonishing display of musicianship and manual dexterity on the barbat.
The song is lyrical, but unfamiliar, most likely because before Behroozinia played it, it didn't exist.
"Persian music is based on improvisation," he says while preparing for a concert with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra. "In Western music you have just two modes: major and minor. In Persian music, because of quarter notes, we have 12 different modes, and every mode has many gusheh, which is the short melodies, so we have to memorize all of them. And finally, based on the melodies that you learn, we can improvise, and that's the hardest part of Persian music."
Behroozinia has performed in Iran and Japan, picked up an award in Nashville, Tennessee, and played all over Europe, but he says he's rarely played the same song twice.
"Most of the time I'm improvising," he says of his performances. "I'm composing (and) I'm playing at the same time."
One century ago, a music lover would likely have needed to cross several continents to see an array of international talent like the one scheduled to take the stage at the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra's March 31 celebration at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver. The concert, which features a chamber choir, new work from Dutch composer Joel Bons as well as Canadian composer Stephen Chatman, marks the 10th anniversary of VICO.
"That's a good opportunity to learn from other musicians," says Behroozinia, who's scheduled to lead a sextet of local musicians who will gamely try to keep pace with Behroozinia's barbat at the concert.
The barbat, which resembles a teardrop-shaped guitar, is intertwined with the history of the Persian Empire and Iran, marking the culture's long reach in one century and disappearing from its musical landscape in the next.
"We gradually lost distance from it," Behroozinia says, discussing the evolution and influence of the instrument, which is at least 1,500 years old.
Also known as an oud, the barbat was imported to Spain where it was known as le oud, and later evolved into the lute. Behroozinia, who now makes his home in North Vancouver, first plucked a barbat string when he was accepted into Tehran's Conservatory of Music at the age of nine.
"At that time it was not really common for Iranian people to send their children to music school," Behroozinia says.
However, Behroozinia's father, who worked for the Ministry of Culture, had a unique attitude.
"He liked to have the family, especially the children, learn some kind of art," Behroozinia says.
In the early 1970s, Behroozinia attended co-ed music classes alongside his older sister.
"Girls and boys could sit next to each other in the same classroom, but after revolution they separated girls and boys from each other," Behroozinia says, discussing the period following 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Despite the brewing political turmoil, Behroozinia experienced a meteoric rise, becoming a teacher at Iran's Centre of Preservation and Propagation of Music at the age of 17. More recently, Iran's Ministry of Culture awarded Behroozinia with its highest honour, the First Order of Arts.
It is because of the instrument's rich history that Behroozinia sees his performances as opportunities to serve as an emissary for the best of Iranian culture.
"The image of Iran is not really good because of politics," he says. When asked about his incentive to perform, Behroozinia replies: "To bring people together with peace and love."
Having honed his skills for 40 years, Behroozinia says he plays to serve both the past and the future.
"I love the sound of the barbat and it's belonged to Iranian music and unfortunately we lost it, so I'm trying to save it and pass it to the new generation."
Tickets are $18-$26 for VICO's 10-year anniversary concert. For more information go to www.vi-co.org/en/store/tickets or call 778-881-5499.
