I have found that the best way to evaluate music is to activate the subject and then talk about how the songs make you feel. What subjects come to mind as your mind is washed in melodies? With Mystic Tales by Fouad Samiei, I am spread out across a desert—a place with unimaginably hot days and freezing cold nights. Despite not knowing why I'm there, I still want to find my way to the top of this new hierarchy. All I know of this place is that heat kills, it's beautiful, and I still want to go home.
In addition to being one of Iran's well-known film score composers, Fouad Samiei also likes to put music out for those who want something otherworldly and unique. Samiei is a master of the Oud, a traditional Middle Eastern stringed instrument known for its deep, resonant tones. These are the sounds that make up Home is so far away and Night Tale on the three-song EP, Mystic Tales. The third song, Mystic Flight involves the Setar, a delicate and intricate Persian instrument to take the storytelling element of the Oud to a higher level.
Mystic Tales consistently tempts my imagination. I'm suddenly transported to a more green part of this desert. I see myself going through the trouble of fighting a golem (rock monster) and once that battle ends, a griffin (half bird, half horse) descends from the sky and starts attacking immediately. This doesn't feel very fair, but I have no choice. I either have to fight, or run.
I've never been the type to turn on music from Iranian composers, but this would be a great session to own. I could play it, meditate, and imagine all the time. I can allow myself to feel the emotions being opened to me. Something else to remember is that Mystic Tales is the final chapter of Fouad Samiei’s Persian Trilogy. That means there is more to this story I'm inventing. Those previous tracks could help me create scenes of how I first ventured into the desert-esque world. This place is not my home, so how did I get here? What will the previous chapters tell me?
After the griffin is dead, I'm able to rest for the first time. I pull down my turban. I'm excited to be away from the monsters but recognize there could be much more in this other world I need to see. I'm going to close my eyes and let the music carry me to along. There are new things to feel, new things to say and they are all right here in the other world. I hope I can survive long enough to experience them.
#MysticTales #FouadSamiei #PersianTrilogy #OudMusic #Setar #PersianMusic #MiddleEasternMusic #FilmComposer #MusicReview #IranianMusic #InstrumentalMusic #MeditativeMusic #OtherworldlySounds #EpicJourney #ImaginativeMusic #CinematicSoundscapes #AmbientMusic #WorldMusicFusion #StorytellingThroughMusic #MusicForMeditation #TranscendentSounds #CulturalHeritage #MusicForTheSoul
Comentários