Duo Elshan Ghasimi & Philipp Püschel

What began as an experiment on the final evening of the Concerto21 Academy 2023 is now touring Germany. The duo Elshan Ghasimi & Philipp Püschel have released their first two tracks with the support of the Concerto21 Foundation. The recordings were made at Pumpwerk Berlin.

Shahnameh (“Book of Kings”) is one of the most famous works of world literature. It tells the history and emergence of the Persian-speaking world. The newly founded duo Elshan Ghasimi & Philipp Püschel are now transferring this epic to the present day and developing a new concert format from it. Elshan Ghasimi is a singer and virtuoso of the Persian long-necked lute Tar. Philipp Püschel is a trumpeter and enhances his instrument with analog effects and live electronics. Their starting point is “RADIF”, the classical Persian art music. Inspired by the Shahnameh texts of the author Abū l-Qāsim Firdausī (940-1020), Ghasimi & Püschel enrich their dialog and broaden their field of vision by means of jazz, free improvisation of tar and trumpet and electronic sounds. Modern perspectives meet Eastern tradition.

Elshan Ghasimi has been a scholarship holder of the foundation since September 2023. Their joint work focuses on making the Radīf better known in the Western world and placing it in a new context.

Photos: Madeleine Brunnmeier