What We Make of What We Inherit | 30 and 31 October at TA T

Dear friends of sounds and rhythms that never fade,

On 9 and 10 October, we celebrated the world premiere of Dastgāh-e Chahārgāh at TA T – Tieranatomisches Theater and opened the second chapter of Elshan Ghasimi’s The Reinterpretation of the Radīf. Following the second concert, the Iranian writer and translator Mahmoud Hosseini Zad spoke about the possibilities and limits of cultural translation – about censorship, political projections and the question of how experiences can be conveyed between Iran and Germany without effacing their otherness.

We thank everyone who shared this opening weekend with us. Our special thanks go to Paz Ponce, Felix Sattler and the entire TA T team, whose support made these focused and deeply rewarding encounters possible.

What We Make of What We Inherit

“One receives something for which one was not personally responsible – and becomes responsible for what one does with it.”

This sentence comes from the publication accompanying The Reinterpretation of the Radīf. It also captures one of the central concerns of Elshan Ghasimi’s work: the Radīf appears neither as an immutable possession nor as merely historical material. Working from within its inner order, she carries the tradition forward by transforming it into a musical present of her own.

The series continues on 30 and 31 October

Next weekend, Dastgāh-e Chahārgāh returns to the Tieranatomisches Theater:

Friday, 30 October 2026, 7 pm – Concert
Saturday, 31 October 2026, 4 pm – Concert followed by a conversation with Mona Mirkamali

We would especially like to draw your attention to Saturday: following the concert, we will speak with musicologist and Radīf expert Mona Mirkamali about what we have just heard. Taking Dastgāh-e Chahārgāh as her point of departure, she will explain the Radīf’s inner order and its lines of transmission.

Admission is free. As seating is limited, advance registration is required:

Important information about access

Due to construction work, the entrances to Campus Nord from Friedrichstraße/Claire-Waldoff-Straße and Reinhardtstraße (Panketor) are currently closed. We recommend entering the campus from Luisenstraße. Please allow a little extra time and consult the current campus map before setting out. We also recommend using Google Maps for navigation.

DATES AND REGISTRATION VIA EVENTBRITE

Looking ahead

On 19 November, Dastgāh-e Chahārgāh will also be performed in a special concert at Freie Universität Berlin. We will share further details about this event separately.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Tieranatomisches Theater.

Warmly,
JMH Schindele
Bublitz