TEHRAN – Prolific Iranian ensemble Rastak has recorded a single named “They Say…” in honor of the Armenian community in Iran.
The song, which is based on an Armenian melody, is part of a project named “Borderless at Home” the ensemble initiated to reprise songs from the neighboring countries.
“They Say…” is the sixth track of the collection, which will be released on Sunday.
Rastak was established in 1997 by a group of music students in Tehran to highlight Iranian folk music.
It has given numerous performances in Australia, Canada and several countries in Europe.
“Leilu”, the fifth track of the project, was released in May. The single is based on a song from Kormanj, a group of Kurdish nomads who live mainly in Khorasan Razavi Province and North Khorasan Province.
At that time, Rastak announced that it would hand out a portion of the money raised by the single in bonuses to medical workers on the coronavirus frontline as a way to thank them.
Earlier the band released “Leili Jan”, a popular folk song from Afghanistan.
“The focus of the project is on non-Iranian people and it enjoys some certain dimensions that are expected to be welcomed,” bandleader Siamak Sepehri, who is also a tar virtuoso, previously said.
“Fortunately, we have had positive reactions from our non-Iranian audiences during various performances, and these reactions caused us to produce those songs that represent some affinities between Iranians and other nations,” he added.
Photo: A poster for Rastak’s single “They Say…”.