Ghorbani, Alireza and Dorsaf Hamdani – “Rapture/The Rite of Khayyam” – [Accords Croises]

In my immediate family there’s a bit of an obsession with the poetry of Omar Khayyam. I’ve trolled numerous used book stores for differently illustrated copies of his masterpiece, “The Rubaiyat,” so it was exciting to see this release inspired by Khayyam’s work. These compositions (Ivresses: Le Sacre de Khayyam or Rapture: The Rite of Khayyam) by Ali Ghamsary are described in the liner notes as “the first musical cycle based on the quatrains of the great Persian poet,” although the 1970 Dorothy Ashby LP “The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby” seems to certainly be a contender.

This is a lovely album of middle-eastern sounds, with both male and female vocals bringing Khayyam to life. Strings (both plucked and bowed), percussion, and vocals both mesmerize and wail, at times reaching a frenetic (party-like?) pace and at others leading to deep contemplation.