A few nights ago I was lucky enough to attend a concert of Persian classical music. Unlike concert-goers at a folk or jazz performance, this audience sat entirely still in the darkness, as if in meditation with the performers. No one whispered to a seat mate, rustled a program or knocked over a Coke bottle, though the atmosphere was informal and relaxed. I was hypnotized by the unique beauty of the improvisational singing, percussion, and especially the melodious strains of the setar, a Persian instrument similar to a lute. Two hours swept by, and all at once the concert was over.
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