Williams – Ghotbi – Francel – Heartseeker – Between the Earth and Nothingness

Description

Audio book with music 

Recitation:
Olivia Williams English
Reza Ghotbi Persian

Music:
Nicole Heartseeker Piano
Mulo Francel Saxophone, Clarinet

The poetry of great poets such as Rumi and Hafis, masterfully recited in the original Persian by Reza Ghotbi.

In the English translation by the actress Olivia Williams with a warm timbre.

Interweaves with music to create an atmospheric overall experience.

Mulo Francel, saxophonist of the acclaimed world music band Quadro Nuevo, improvises on the icons of European music: Handel, Bach, Schubert, Caccini, Satie. Together with the sensitive pianist Nicole Heartseeker, the melodies will be atmospherically juxtaposed with Persian poetry. This creates a sensual access to the flowery-mystical language of Persian poetry and its powerful images.

Here, styles are mixed, millennia are overcome, cultures are united, old masters are rejuvenated and new sound images are conjured up – beyond conventional patterns and classical pigeonholing, floating in space and time.

The selected texts are by the early Iranian poets Hafis (1317-1390) and Rumi (1207-1273), but also by artists of our time such as Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980), Ahmad Shamlou “Bamdad” (1925-2000) and Huschang Ebtehadsch “Sayeh” (b. 1928), who now lives in Cologne.

Olivia Williams is a British actress who has appeared in British and American films and television. After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company, her first significant role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television film Emma, based on Jane Austen‘s novel. She made her film debut in The Postman, followed by Rushmore and The Sixth Sense. Williams then appeared in several British films, including Lucky Break, The Heart of Me and An Education. She won acclaim for her performance as Ruth Lang in Roman Polanski‘s The Ghost Writer. She has played Emily Silk(s), on the television series Counterpart.

Born in Teheran, Reza Ghotbi came to Munich as a student of medicine, eventually making the Bavarian city his home. As well as being the recipient of numerous accolades as a surgeon, he has long been an avid cultural enthusiast. Poetry in Iran is an open window to the world. The poets provide a unique sense of the elegance and powerful imagery of the Persian language, thus shaping life and history in Iran. In the true spirit of mysticism, he has a deep-seated love for human diversity and its cultural differences.

For this album, Reza has freely interpreted the poems, translated them into German in keeping with their original meaning and recited them in Persian. The poems were subsequently translated into English for this audio book.

From her beginnings as a young student of the organ, Nicole Heartseeker continued her master class studies on harpsichord and piano, placing emphasis on the works of J.S. Bach, Max Reger, and on the preservation of historical musical traditions. As she delved more intensively into the world of sacred organ music, the desire emerged to transfer this specific musical art to the piano. Following her training as a classical musician, Nicole Heartseeker became increasingly involved in more unusual projects. With her unique blend of elements from classical, jazz and world music, Nicole transcends all commonly held misconceptions of genre boundaries.

Multiple ECHO award winner, saxophonist and globetrotter Mulo Francel has travelled the world from the Balkans to Beijing to Buenos Aires with such well-known ensembles as Quadro Nuevo. During visits to Iran he fell in love with the Persian culture and, inspired by the warmth and hospitality of the people, went on to create the audio book „Goethe‘s persische Reise“. Mulo’s extravagant style is permeated with his love of jazz and world music. In the audio book „Between the Earth and Nothingness“, he freely improvises on the works of the great old masters. With sensitivity and a free spirit, Mulo spans a radiant arc from the now to the classical. A luminous ray in the eternity of the universe.