Keeping the flame of their homeland's music alive: Fanoos Ensemble plays at the Tarkington

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Devoted to the music that speaks to and from their souls is the mission of the family ensemble that played

Fanoos Ensemble performed at the Tarkington, with attractive photos on a screen.

Saturday night at the Center for the Performing Arts' Tarkington Theater.

Those attending concerts of the Fanoos Ensemble on tour in the U.S. can only marvel at and deplore how a consequential shift in the government of Afghanistan erased the study, appreciation and performance of music in 2021. 

With the Taliban in control imposing a conservative interpretation of Islam, now that heritage must be maintained by Afghan musicians abroad, including those concentrated at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music's adopted home in Portugal. 

The four members of the band —father Ahmad Fanoos, sons Elham and Mehran, and "brother by another mother" Sohail Karimi — entertained with two generous sets a large, responsive audience. Behind them, a wealth of slide projections conveyed titles and other information about the repertoire, in addition to a host of striking views of Afghanistan, both urban and rural, plus studies of old and young Afghans, both posed and candid, in their homeland.

The pieces were arranged usually with instrumental introductions, featuring Elham (piano) and Mehran (violin). Vocals were essential to nearly everything played, using texts mainly from Afghanistan's two principal languages, Dari and Pashto. With a fine range of gusto and expressivity, Ahmad sang the songs, accompanying himself on a harmonium, a compact instrument incorporating a hand-operated bellows and keyboard. Essential to setting the rhythmic patterns was Karimi on tablas, a set of tuned drums played by hand and emanating from North Indian classical culture.

Religious and patriotic songs had a significant representation, including a couple with texts by the mystical poet Rumi, whose work is rather well known in the West. Translations in English were among the slides shown. 

Ahmad Fanoos had composed several of the songs, creatively furthering the characteristics of related genres that make up the heritage of his people. Love songs with colorful images of longing were also prominent. Reflections of life at its most positive took precedence near the end, especially in "Zindagi (Life)," which featured an accelerating tempo at the climax as the quartet stayed perfectly synchronized.

William Harvey (third from right) with the Fanoos family in 2014.

It was a treat for my wife, Susan, and me to take in several moments of violin prominence during the concert, as well as in a supporting role. 

Our son William, while resident in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2014 as member of the ANIM faculty, gave Mehran his start on the violin and got to know the family, of which the accompanying photo is a memento. 

Mehran has since been studying for three years with Mimi Zweig at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.



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