Muhameds Mostafa Heidarijans

On March 28, Iranian tanbur player Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian will perform at the bar Aleponija (Ernesta Birznieka‑Upīša Street 22). The concert begins at 20:00. Tickets are available through www.bilesuserviss.lv; the price is 8 EUR in pre-sale and 10 EUR at the door. The concert is organized by the Skaņu Mežs association, as part of its concert series 1-2 Cauri!.

Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian was born on January 1, 2002, in Kermanshah, western Iran – the historic home of the tanbur, whose roots in the region stretch back more than 5,000 years. Raised in a Yarsan Kurdish family, he grew up surrounded by sacred musical traditions in which the tanbur plays a central role. His father, Morteza, was a daf player who later became a tanbur maker, and it was within this world of devotion, craftsmanship, and culture that Mostafa’s musical identity began to form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKlPq0cy3xY&list=RDVKlPq0cy3xY&start_radio=1 

Mostafa’s connection to the tanbur started almost as soon as he could hold the instrument. By age seven he was studying Yarsan maqams, and after the family moved to Karaj he found himself in a vibrant musical environment where master teachers visited his father’s workshop. He absorbed the sounds of old cassette recordings, practiced obsessively after school, and dreamed of legendary tanbur masters such as Seyyed Amrollâh. His path toward becoming a musician was unmistakably clear.

As a teenager, Mostafa met French musician Valentin Portron, who had traveled to Iran to learn the tanbur. Their shared love of sacred music sparked a deep friendship and creative partnership. In 2020, Mostafa recorded several improvisations for Valentin’s band, which inspired him to create additional tracks with daf player Behzâd Varâshte. These recordings became his debut album, Songs of Horaman, released in 2021 and later reissued internationally to widespread acclaim from outlets such as the BBC, Mojo, WFMU, and Gonzo Magazine.

The seeds of his second album were planted in 2021 at Tehran’s historic Bell Studio, where Mostafa began refining a more intentional and precise musical approach. Each year his father gifts him a newly crafted tanbur, and while rehearsing on his latest instrument – also named Mostafa – a new suite of pieces emerged. In March 2023 he returned to Bell Studio with dohool player Morteza Rezâei and recorded the album Noor‑e Vojood (“The Light of Existence”) in just two days. For Mostafa, the album expresses his belief that music can offer clarity, comfort, and love in troubled times – a continuation of a rapidly growing body of work rooted in tradition yet illuminated by his own creative spirit.