Improvisational thrills by Persian masters

Titling Saturday night’s concert at Disney Hall “The Masters of Persian Music” was no exaggeration. The presence of vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian -- one of the greatest living practitioners of Persian music -- alone was probably enough to pack the auditorium.

Add to that the incisive tar playing of Hossein Alizadeh, a gifted composer-instrumentalist, the stunning kamancheh (sometimes called “spike fiddle”) work of Kayhan Kalhor, as well as the tombak drumming and singing of Shajarian’s youthful son, Homayoun Shajarian, and there was little doubt that the the billing was fully justified.

The elder Shajarian’s marvelously flexible voice was on display from the first number, a vocal-instrumental improvisational duet with Kalhor. Sometimes singing with deeply intimate quietness, Shajarian was equally capable of soaring into grand, operatic-sized phrases. His mastery of the complex, semi-tonal (from a Western perspective) intervals of the Persian classical dastgah (or modes) system was equally remarkable, as he used the piquant qualities of the semi-tones to enhance the emotional flow of his improvised lines.

The second half of the program was dedicated to a complete classical suite in the Bayat-e Zand avaz system (a subset of the dastgah modes), performed by the full ensemble. Blending stunning virtuosity with a deep regard for the poetic lyrics, some of which were drawn from the 13th century Persian poet Sa’adi, the musicians wove a richly textured tapestry of mesmerizing sound and substance.

Highlighting the climactic presentation of a remarkable evening, the suite included stunning vocal duets by the Shajarians, with father and son inventively challenging each other by spinning off improvisational ideas from the gusheh melodic repertoire of the Bayat-e Zand.