The Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat sings timeless Iranian poetry by Rumi, Hafez and contemporary Iranian poets. Famous in her own country and known all over the world, Vahdat is not allowed to perform in her own country. The old poems are still relevant in their plea to look beyond borders and to ignore political dividing lines.

The intimate string sounds reinforce the serenity and melancholy that resonate in her songs. In addition to songs by Vahdat, the Iranian female composers Aftab Darvishi and Niloufar Nourbakhsh are writing new works for Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Pärt bridges the gap between east and west. In his Orient & Occident warm chords of the West constantly alternate with the glissandi and exaggerated seconds that characterize the music of the Middle East.