About That Magic Circle

That Magic Circle members

On the cover, left to right: Milad Mohammadi, Lennart Heyndels, Hendrike Scharmann, Yunah  Proost, Falk Schrauwen and Mostafa Taleb. Image by Hooman Jalidi.

About That Magic Circle, by composer Mostafa Taleb, held at the Concertgebouw in Bruges on the 23rd of March, was a deeply poetic, spiritual and melodic hour of being transported by the dialogue between the Persian kamancheh and tar with the classical European violin and cello, with a double bass that could be from New Orleans or New York Jazz scenes. This concert went far beyond making an obvious statement on the importance of intercultural dialogue. The concert was a living co-creation, a majestic, evolving new thing in itself, fundamentally more than a combination of instruments. Each instrument sounded not just as itself, but its meaning fed on the contrast and resonance with the other instruments. 

Mostafa’s composition was inspired by the Persian poet, mystic, and philosopher Attar of Nishapur (c. 1145–1221), author of The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-Tayr) and The Book of Suffering (Musibat Nama), with its themes of water, air, earth, and fire. To this Mostafa adds a fifth element – soul, which allows the emergence of life, the ultimate mystery. Mostafa Taleb states that “establishing the unity of the five elements can perhaps make the world a little bit more beautiful.” This he achieves by bringing together six musicians, seven instruments, their song of the four elements and the voyage of the soul seeking wisdom. 

In these times, where the world order seems to be heading toward chaos and confusion, where hate is infecting language, it is all the more important to listen to music that is a fusion of instruments, a dialogue between us, a joint creation, not an inevitable destruction. We have a choice – there is a narrative of hope. Go, listen to Mostafa Taleb’s About That Magic Circle – on Spotify and all other music platforms, but much better on stage. There you can see the musicians inspire each other, and wow, when you see the infectious pleasure that one instrument gives another, one culture gives another, 

it brings a calming hope. I particularly loved the mutual appreciation of the tar for the double bass and vice versa. Rain can be impressed by the earth, by thunder. And the earth welcomes the rain that dances down. – 

Which instrument dance touches you most will be personal. Let yourself be invited in and mesmerized by the kamancheh, drawn in to hear and feel the dance of elements and the creation of something new, driven by the breath of Mostafa Taleb’s soul, and wrapping together the cello, violin, double bass, percussion, and tar. Something new and special was created. It lives on even after the instruments stopped.