The Wisdom of Zarathustra and Rumi

This evening offers an opportunity to experience the meeting of two ancient cultures: Persian Sufi poetry and music, and the depth of Indian classical music. The event is dedicated to Rumi’s birthday—a day worth remembering him and his teachings on the inner journey. A brief introduction to the evening will reveal the subtle connection between Zoroaster and Rumi—teachers who lived in different eras but expressed inner light in similar ways.

During the concert, master of Persian classical music Dariush Rasouli (Iran) will play the tar and ney, chant Zoroastrian mantras, and recite Rumi’s poems in Persian, accompanied by a translation into Lithuanian. He will be joined by the bansuri flute of Indian classical music, whose colorful melodies will be performed by Adomas Šimkūnas, who has been studying and performing traditional Indian classical music for many years.

The musical dialogue between Darius Rasouli and Adomas Šimkūnas will be further enriched by the subtle, continuous resonance of the tambura and Ehsan Vaseghi’s percussion. We will enjoy music that preserves the forms of both Indian and Persian classical traditions—what Rumi called “the music of the heart.”