‘Kian Soltani & Ensemble Shiraz’

Kian Soltani was born in Austria, into a family of Iranian musicians. He was only twelve years old when he enrolled in the Musikhochschule Basel. He then joined the young soloist programme of the Kronberg Academy before going on to study at the Internationale Musikakademie in Liechtenstein. The 26-year-old cellist has already performed with several prominent ensembles, including the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, with Daniel Barenboim, in several of the world’s best concert halls. The programme includes Schumann’s Five pieces in folk style, a tête-à-tête between the cello and the piano, with the excellent Aaron Pilsan. Then he will move onto something different, with Soul-Searching, commissioned by the Wiener Konzerthaus from the Austrian jazz composer David Helbock. Kian Soltani, who is also an outstanding player of the kamancheh (a bowed Iranian string instrument), will then explore the fascinating world of his Persian roots, with the Shiraz ensemble. The tombak and the târ – the Persian equivalents of the goblet drum and the lute – will engage in a stunning musical dialogue with the kamancheh.