Our program Hatem & Suleika shows how love transcends differences. Featuring soloists Kian Soltani on cello and Kayhan Kalhor on kemenche.
In Goethe’s West-östlicher Divan, based on poems by the 14th-century Persian poet Hafez, the love between the poet Hatem and his beloved Suleika is a symbol of a stimulating encounter and exchange between East and West. This interaction is also expressed in Kayhan Kalhor’s work, Blue as the Turquoise Night, in which the Iranian composer creates a meditative, nocturnal world that alternates between a Western and a more traditional Persian idiom. The legend of Şahmeran, a mystical snake queen in Anatolian folklore, reflects themes such as wisdom, beauty and sacrifice. Şahmeran was slain after being betrayed. Likewise, in the tragic love story Tristan und Isolde, betrayal leads to the lovers’ downfall; however, their love is viewed as eternal. Mahler’s heartfelt ode to his wife Alma shows how love can transcend differences.
