Mahsa Vahdat & Marjan Vahdat - Heart's Endless Garden: Woven Verses

In “Heart’s Endless Garden”, Iranian singers Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat have gathered an exceptional ensemble of musicians to create a unique album of entirely new songs, weaving together poetic texts - both ancient and modern - from Iran’s literary canon into a cohesive whole: a dialogue spanning centuries. The theme is timeless, exploring passion, love, grief, and ecstasy within the heart’s endless garden.

It is not merely the bold way several compositions blend poems from vastly different eras that makes this project special. The music unites the classical Persian musical landscape with stylistic elements of European art music. Arranger Atabak Elyasi is deeply versed in traditional music yet also trained in Western harmony; he crafts riffs and contrapuntal lines for the instruments to complement Mahsa and Marjan’s vocals, while the singers’ expressive voices intertwine - sometimes in call-and-response, other times mirroring one another like shadows. Producer Erik Hillestad has shaped the soundscape into a musical panorama of great depth.

After decades of a profound journey in singing, the Vahdat sisters have developed distinct yet deeply connected voices. When woven together, they create new layers of emotion, color, and texture, forming a unique and deeply personal vocal style. Moving beyond conventional phrasing and ornamentation, they seek a more personal way of inhabiting the Iranian vocal tradition - reshaping inherited forms while deeply loyal to their roots.

The musicians are primarily based in the USA and hail from various Middle Eastern backgrounds, though the ensemble also includes Norwegian Annbjørg Lien on Hardanger fiddle and nyckelharpa. Ara Dinkjian, an Armenian American, plays the oud. Tamer Pinarbasi (of Turkish heritage) performs on the qanun (zither), Palestinian musician Naseem Alatrash plays the cello, Emma Powell plays the violin, and Greg Ellis the drums and percussion. The album was recorded at The Village Studio D in Los Angeles.

The project’s subtitle, "Woven Verses," describes how classical and modern Persian texts are interwoven to create a vibrant tapestry of poetry and music. On this album, texts by the Renaissance poets Hafez and Rumi are woven together with the work of contemporary poets: Forough Farrokhzad, Mohammad Ibrahim Jafari, and Sohrab Sepehri. The concept can be likened to a Persian carpet. In Persian culture, the carpet is more than merely a craft object; it is a symbol of the garden and paradise, and a focal point in every Iranian home. It is a living art form that has evolved over generations and is deeply rooted in the daily lives and collective consciousness of the Iranian people. Much like the patterns and motifs of these carpets, the poems on the album carry stories, metaphors, and symbols across time.

The project stems from the lives of Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat and their strong ties to their motherland, Iran; it tells a story of sisterhood and artistic resistance against the ban and prohibitions imposed following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Through their artistic journey, the sisters affirm their commitment to preserving and revitalizing their motherland’s cultural and spiritual heritage, carrying its poetic voice across borders and generations.

The creation of the project is commissioned by Hewlett 50 Arts Grant, and the recording is supported by Fond for Lyd og Bilde/Arts Council Norway.

Customers in Nordic countries, please visit KKV to purchase the album in CD or digital format

2-VLT-15405