Concert Theater Slated for Vahdat Hall

TEHRAN.(Iranart) – A ctor, singer and guitarist Ashkan Khatibi, 38, has written and directed a concert theater that will go on stage at Vahdat Hall in Tehran.

The '10 Years of Solitude' is slated for December 24-31, at 9:30 pm. It will be performed by three thespians, six musicians and three choir singers, ISNA reported.

Concert theater is a combination form in which music and drama are performed live together. Through interweaving, music does not just define mood and atmosphere, but serves as another language expressed by the musicians - a voice and character in its own right, spoken alongside the actors on the same stage. Music and drama are presented side by side, to create a rich and complete performance.

Khatibi has a role with his wife Anahita Dargahi and Pouria Rahimi-Sam. The musicians include composer, keyboardist and music arranger Ashkan Abron; violinist Bardia Amiri; electric guitarist Nima Ramezan; bassist and guitarist Arash Saeedi; bassist Soroush Adl; and composer, music arranger, and conductor, pianist and saxophonist Hooman Namdari.

Tara Salahi, Fatemeh Sarebanha and Mona Shams are in the choir trio. Khatibi says "10 Years of Solitude is a multimedia project. It is an evolved version of 'Rock the Pen,' my last year's project." Rock the Pen was a rock concert staged at Tehran's Mostaqel (independent) Theater and Charsou Cineplex.

"This time, I've selected a different music style with a different type of performance. The project combines theater, music, digital painting and cinema," the news agency quoted him as saying.

Over 20 people have invested time and effort in 10 Years of Solitude. Drama rehearsals started early last month and rehearsals for the music performance began long before.

Khatibi hopes to be able to stage the show in other cities. “This project took a lot of time and effort." It is designed in such a way that it can only be performed at Vahdat Hall, due to the special seating layout of the venue.

Tickets are available at Iranconcert.com.