In January of 2008, Iranian kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor performed a magnificent concert at the Brooklyn Lyceum, with New York City-based string quartet Brooklyn Rider. Presented by the World Music Institute and the “In A Circle” series, the concert featured material from new release Silent City, an album of cross-cultural landscapes, of evocations stretching from a dark night on a New York City street to the old world beauty of Vienna and beyond. Beginning with a soft, undefined buzzing, growing in sound and shape, until the kamancheh broke through with its lonely, wistful sound, the live program’s theme was “Living Memory”, an exploration of the meeting between folk, world, classical and modern music. On Silent City, the theme continues, with traditional Iranian folk melodies re-imagined by members of Brooklyn Ryder, after an inspirational trip to Iran. “Ascending Bird” and “Parvaz” are based on different versions of a myth about a bird who attempts to fly to the sun, and achieves spiritual transcendence; “Beloved, do not let me be discouraged” is Brooklyn Rider’s Colin Jacobsen’s compositional take on the popular Middle Eastern story of star-crossed lovers Layla and Majnun. The title track is a Kalhor composition originally featured on Yo-Yo Ma’s New Impossibilities, and introduces the theme of life’s continued renewal in the face of destruction, whether by humankind or by the forces of nature. Also joining Kalhor and Brooklyn Rider in this recording is the renowned santur performer Siamak Aghaei, founder of the group Santurnavazan, and an active lecturer and musician who tours around the world.