ShahnamehThe

THE EPIC BOOK OF KINGS

ShahnamehThe

THE EPIC BOOK OF KINGS

Originally commissioned by theBritish Museum, with supportfrom the Smithsonian, IranHeritage, Asia House and theMagic of Persia. Developed fornational touring by AdverseCamber.

The performance takes place intwo halves with an interval

Created and performed by

Xanthe Gresham KnightStoryteller

Arash Moradishurangiz, daf, setar

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Welcome to tonight’s performanceand thank you for coming!

Shahnameh (the book of kings) was written by thePersian/Iranian poet Ferdowsi over 1,000 years ago. Composed in Farsi over a thirty year period,Ferdowsi’s epic blends myth, legend and the historicalstories of successive Kings of Iran, from the dawn oftime to the fall of the Persian empire in the 7th Century.Comprising over 50,000 lines of verse, it is the longest poem by a single author every written.

This performance offers a hand-picked collection of stories from the epic, through a combination ofcrafted poetry, evocative music and effervescentstorytelling created by Xanthe Gresham Knight andArash Moradi. Just as Ferdowsi gathered togethersource materials when creating his epic, so Xanthe andArash combine inspiration from Ferdowsi’s materialwith their own distinctive voices, to share theirinterpretation of the epic with you. Discover moreabout their creative process in this programme or onour website.

As always, with storytelling, this work truly comes alivein the presence of audiences, so thank you for beingpart of a shared experience tonight. As with all Adverse Camber performances, we thrive on thefeedback of our audiences, so please do share yourresponses with us.

Enjoy the evening!

Naomi Wilds, Producer

Although I have been telling stories from theShahnameh for many years, I feel I’m just at thebeginning with this enormous epic. I havelearned so much about the art of Naqali, Iranianperformance storytelling, from working withFerdowsi’s poem. It naturally lends itself toimprovisation, audience participation and drama.The unparalleled music of Arash Moradi, who hassuch a repertoire of songs and maqams, sometraditionally used for key characters in TheShahnameh, is the spirit and soul of Ferdowsi.

Xanthe GreshamKnight, on workingwith Shahnameh

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Knowledge is the eye of our life

Without eyes our life is hard and dark

Brilliant and consummate poetthat he was, Ferdowsi used everytimeless, universal and resonantimage available. Combining anumber of translations, I’ve keptwhatever struck me as beautiful.

The original verses rhyme and I’veput long sections into verse. It’sbeen a revelation how comfortableit feels to perform, especially as,over the years I’ve been workingwith the material, the rhymes havesettled down and it’s becomeclear where they need to overlapwith prose.

The story of Sohrab and Rustam isthe furthest I’ve gone down thispathway and with the beat of thedaf, it’s intoxicating to perform.Anyone looking for a good currenttranslation of Shahnameh, todiscover more for themselves,couldn’t do better than DickDavies’ version available inPenguin Classics.

For the storytelling, I have made acreative adaption of the stories.The Shahnameh has elements ofnationalism which, being a pacifist,I’ve tried to downplay. I’ve alsoaugmented the feminine wherepossible, while trying to retain thefull blooded warrior energy thatgives the stories such kick.

In the 7th Century, the Persianempire fell to the Arabconquest. Over the next fewhundred years, the sympathiesand cultures of particularregions across a vast areashifted continually between oldand new allegiances. In the 10th Century, the Saminiddynasty, ruling North EasternIran and central Afghanistan,was keen to demonstrate its rule as descending fromolder Persian traditions. Theycommissioned translationsfrom ancient Iranian. Theyspoke new Persian, rather than Arabic at court. Undertheir guidance, ‘a court poetryof great brilliance, in Persian,soon began to flourish’1,involving a rich array of poets,male and female.

Ferdowsi, living in the North EasternIranian city of Tus, began writing theShahnameh in this vibrant culturalatmosphere. He was not based atcourt, but wrote from his ownestate and was given a tax break tohelp him by the local governor.Legend has it, he was promised agold coin for every verse he wroteby the ruling Sultan. A later poetrecorded that he wrote the poem toprovide a dowry for his onlydaughter, confident in the reward hewould ultimately receive.

Ferdowsi gathered both written andoral sources for his epic. Theseincluded epic cycles memorisedand transmitted through thegenerations by Zoroastrian(pre-Islamic) priests as well as oral stories shared in the chaikhanas or teahouses bytravelling storytellers, or naqqal. He incorporated into his poemwritings by other poets, notablyverses about Zoroastrian historyand beliefs by Daqiqi – he creditedhim - who was murdered before hefinished his own book of kings.

Ferdowsi’sShahnameh

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Image © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Image © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Ferdowsi’sShahnameh

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh iscomprised of 50,000 lines ofrhyming couplets in a classicalPersian poetic form. It is twice as long as the Iliad and Odysseyput together. The metrical rhythmlends itself to the pounding ofbattle and hunting or the lyricism of romances. Rhythm and rhymemake the poem highly memorable,preserving and enabling stories ofmyth, legend and history from thepre-Islamic era to be passed on tofuture generations.

As well as compiling historicallyvalid accounts of generations ofPersian kings, Ferdowsi was keento reflect on ethics and values.These revolve around questions ofwhat make a good man, a goodhero, and, crucially, a good ruler.Ferdowsi used every exquisiteimage he could wrestle from hisown imagination and theuniversally potent images sourcedfrom the great poets of his day.The result is a vast, hypnotic,arresting work that deals withgood, evil, truth, lies, war, love andpeace.

Through his poem, Ferdowsiestablished classical Persian(Farsi/Parsi) as a language of greatbeauty and sophistication. He usedwords in common parlance for theliterate elite at that time, blendedwith middle Persian words fromprevious centuries, still accessibleto Persian readers today. The workinfluenced epic and poetic writersfor centuries afterwards – manyscholars credit the continuity ofmodern Persian to the Shahnameh.

By the time of the poem’scompletion, rule had passed to anew dynasty. Legend has it thatFerdowsi refused the silver, ratherthan gold coins, offered by thethen ruling king. When the kingreconsidered, and went to offergold, he was met by Ferdowsi’scoffin travelling in the otherdirection. Ferdowsi recorded in thepoem his own confidence that hiswork would ultimately secure hisfame and he was provedsatisfyingly right.

1 From introduction to Penguin Classics Shahnameh,translation by Dick Davies

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The MusicalTraditions of ShahnamehArash Moradi was born in the North Westregion of Kurdish Iran, a musically rich area,to a musical family – his father Ali AkbarMoradi is Iran’s leading tanbur player. Forcenturies, the music of the tanbur has beenconsidered sacred within this community,with songs and chants preserved andpassed on through transmission frommaster to apprentice across generations.

Persian classical music works through acombination of improvisation andcomposition around seven modes (scalesand tunes) each with a particular character.Learning respect for the music as well asopenness to the personal response of eachmusician is integral to how it is taught.

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Compositions alternate betweencontemplative pieces and athleticdisplays of musicianship, andincorporate lyrics written by Sufipoets. In 2009, radifs (the body ofmodes, often distinctive to theteachings of each master) wereregistered on the UNESCO List ofthe Intangible Cultural Heritage ofHumanity.

In creating the music for thisperformance, Arash works with the modes of Persian classical,Kurdish maqam and Sufi music,the qualities of the story and thestyle of each instrument, as well as themes known to be associatedwith characters. While setar andtanbur are traditional instrumentswith long histories, the shurangiz is a relatively new instrument moresuitable to Persian classical music.

In a drive to protect music kept alivein the Kurdish Yarsan community forthousands of years, Arash’s father,Ali Akbar Moradi spent decades collecting, learning and recording

72 original and sacred maqams so that contemporary musicianscould improvise and create newcompositions rooted in traditionalculture. Arash makes great use ofthis legacy, using instruments with a variety of phrases and coloursthat enable him to capture thedifferent textures and qualities ofeach story.

Music is an integral feature withinthe storytelling tradition associatedwith the Shahnameh. Rustam issaid to have discovered the firsttanbur hanging in a tree. He took it down and found his fingers fit thestrings perfectly There is still amaqam called Tarze Rustam whichis believed to be over 1000 yearsold.

Music is also combined with martialarts, calisthenics and strengthtraining in the traditions of the‘House of Strength’, a system forpassing on values and trainingwarriors in Iran and said to havebeen practiced by Rustam. In thetraditional circular gymnasium, with a sunken floor, audience, musiciansand athletes are separated intodifferent areas. The morshed, ormaster, leads the athletes in theirtraining sometimes with extractsfrom the Shahnameh to inspirethem.

Characters

Rustam: Hero

Rustams’ life spans hundreds ofyears. His legendary exploits are athread through the many volumesof Shahnameh. Rustam was mixedrace, his father Zal was fromZabulistan on the Eastern borderof Iran and his mother Rudabehwas from the enemy Kabul inCentral Asia. Solo, Rustam cantake out an army, outwit demonsand wield the strings of themesmeric tanbur, the onlyinstrument that can calm his war rage. Despite his heroiccredentials, Rustam likes nothingbetter than feasting in his hometown of Zabulistan where he isconstantly disturbed and exploitedby a series of Shahs who need hispowers to bring down theirenemies.

Zal: Father of Rustam

Zal is the most inspirationalcharacter with the attribute ofalbinism in the history of literature.Abandoned in the mountains, themagical Simorgh, equivalent to themysterious phoenix, raised himwith her young. At one with nature,running with the birds and in tunewith the seasons, Zal’s strengthand beauty are matched in hismarriage to Rudabeh, enemyPrincess of Kabul.

Rudabeh: Mother of Rustam and wife of Zal

Princess of Kabul and enemyof Iran, Rudabeh is theprototype for Rapunzel,possessing hair thatcascades in a thick blackmusky lasso from the topof her tower to the rosesbeneath. The marriage ofZal and Rudabeh standsfor the idealistic power ofyouth that can fearlesslyovercome the enmityof their ancestors.

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Illustration: ©The British Library Board Or. 4615, f.3v

The Simorgh: Mythical bird

Behind all the stories of Rustam are the shimmering wingsof the multicoloured Simorgh. She is a symbol that catchesthe imagination of young and old. Rustam only has to burnone of her feathers and wherever she is in the world, shewill come to his aid. Stories of the Simorgh are cherishedby Iranians who heard them in childhood and continue toreflect on her power and example. (In The Conference ofthe Birds by Persian writer Farid ud-Din Attar, the Simorghis the holy grail of all quests. 30 birds seek her only to findthat her name, Simorgh, means 30 birds.)

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Characters

Tahmina: Wife of Rustam

Half human and half peri, half fairy,the Princess of Samangan,Tahmina, is a contemporaryheroine. She woos Rustam withforthright and passionateconviction. She wants his child.Powerless to resist, Rustamsubmits. Rustam and Tahmina’sromance only lasts one night buther mission is accomplished,Sohrab is conceived.Consequently Tahmina brings uptheir son single handedly.

Rakhsh: Horse of Rustam

The only one strong enough tocarry Rustam’s weight, the nameRahksh means “shining one” andthe horse is the colour of “roseleaves scattered on saffron.” Hegallops across the tips of the grassbearing his master from adventureto adventure. Loyal friend andchampion, Rakhsh carries Rustamthrough life and into death.

Sohrab: Son of Tahmina

Whelp of the great hero Rustam,Sohrab is reputed to be bigger,better, braver and stronger thanhis father. Sohrab means “shiningone.” He is a child prodigy whocould have changed the course of history.

Bizan and Manizeh: Lovers

The Shahnameh is full of lovestories and the tale of Bizan,Prince of Iran and Manizeh,Princess of Turan is a favourite.Their love unites two warringkingdoms. Of course true lovenever runs smoothly...

The Demons: Shapeshifters

The Demons are a quixotic blendof humour and aggression. It isthanks to them that stories werecreated in the first place.

Illustration: Basawan. The Flight of the Simurgh. ca. 1590, Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection

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Xanthe Gresham Knight hasbeen delighting audiences withstories for over 20 years. Her workis energetic, distinctive and full ofhumour and has captivatedaudiences all over the world. Herstories of the Shahnameh havebeen shaped by many visits to theBritish Library studying differenttranslations, performing toaudiences of all ages and years ofdreaming on the characters.

Xanthe is a graduate of OxfordUniversity and the Guildhall Schoolof Music and Drama. She hasbeen awarded StorytellingResidencies at Harvard University,The Chelsea Physic Garden andStoke and Staffordshire Libraries.

She is currently Storyteller inResidence for PsychologiesMagazine, was StorytellingEducator for Tate Britain for fiveyears and Lecturer in Drama andStorytelling at the University ofEast London for fourteen.

Xanthe also performs the GoddessTales, described as ‘a series ofminor miracles as she morphsfrom one goddess to another,’performed at The Barbican, TheNational, Northern Stage and TheCheltenham Literature Festival.

www.xanthegresham.co.uk

XantheGresham Knight

Arash MoradiArash Moradi was born in theKurdish city of Kermanshah inWestern Iran. He is the eldest son of Iran’s leading tanburplayer Ali Akbar Moradi.

Arash started learning thisancient artform from an earlyage from his father whom hehas since accompanied innumerous concerts and festivalsthroughout the world.

Arash lives in London where he teaches tanbur and runsworkshops on Persian music. He has collaborated with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. He also actively promotes Kurdishmusic.

www.parvazensemble.co.uk

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Illustrationsof theShahnamehWe’re told that Ferdowsiwrote two editions of hismanuscript, one compiled in999 CE and the secondcompleted in 1010. Asurviving edition in Ferdowsi’sown handwriting, however,has never been found. Theearliest surviving manuscriptsdate from 200 years after hisdeath - the earliest knowncopy, dated c 1217 anddiscovered as recently as1977 is held in Florence’sNational Library. The nextoldest known manuscript(1276) and is in the BritishLibrary – a single volumewithout illustrations.

During Ferdowsi’s lifetime,books were reproduced by hand, book productionwas labour-intensive andexpensive. A basicmanuscript could cost asmuch as a horse. Addingillustrations increased theexpense.

No two editions haveprecisely the same textualcontent, as scribes makingcopies frequently edited andmade mistakes.

As time passed, Shahnamehmanuscript copies began to include illustrations –frequently miniaturewatercoloured paintings.Earlier illustrated manuscriptshave the artwork containedneatly within the borders of a container box within thepage. In later manuscripts,the illustrations flow out of the boxes, spreading into the margins as if to consumethe heroes and text alike. At times the minaturesthreaten to dominate thepage.

The gold leaf illustrationsilluminating the Shahnamehmanuscripts reveal that thedemons were as fascinatingto their audiences as comicbook and fantasy charactersare today. Wreathed insnakes, decked with horns,hooved, hairy, and alive withcolour, the demons catapultacross the elegant pageswith elemental vigour.

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Image © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Creative TeamA creative team worked withXanthe and Arash to shape theversion of The Shahnamehshared with you from severalhour-long selections of storiesthey have developed.

Collaborating Director: Kate Higginbottom

Kate Higginbottom is a writer,director and performer with abackground in theatre, physicaltheatre, film, music and dance.Her principle work as director hasbeen with Nicole & Martin, creatingstaged versions of Grimm’s tales.Kate studied English Literature atCambridge, Theatre Performanceand Creation at the ÉcoleInternational de Théâtre JacquesLecoq, Paris, Dance at LabanLondon and the European DanceDevelopment Centre in Holland.As a performer and devisor shehas worked with manyinternational companies, includingComplicite, Herdeg&Desponds,and Theatre O.

Design Assistant: Claudine Scheer

Born in Luxembourg, Claudinestudied Theatre Design at theUniversity of Central England,Birmingham. She currently worksat Vivid Design Works, an EventDesign Company in South EastLondon as a painter, seamstressand general PA alongside work in theatre, making props andcostumes.

Technical Manager: Gethin Stacey

Gethin Stacey runs Sound HireWales, supplying high qualitysound and lighting for events largeand small across the UK. This is his second production withAdverse Camber, in addition toFire in the North Sky: Epic Talesfrom Finand, also currently touring.

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Associate Producer: Louisa Davies

Louisa Davies is an independentcreative producer, working on arange of projects encompassingmusic, spoken word, theatre andoutdoor arts, alongside a part timerole as Events Manager for theRoyal Shakespeare Company.For ten years, she was theProducer – Performing Arts atmac birmingham, where she firstdiscovered Adverse Camber.Louisa is a board member ofBirmingham-based theatrecompany The Bone Ensemble.

Producer: Naomi Wilds

Naomi Wilds founded AdverseCamber in 2006. She hasproduced ten national tours forthe company, raising substantialfunds for artistic and organisationaldevelopment. In 2009, Naomiwas one of four East Midlandsproducers to receive a bursaryfrom Arts Council England inrecognition of her work. Naomistudied English Literature at theUniversity of Leeds. Shespecialised in literaturedevelopment from 1999-2008as part of the East MidlandsLiterature Network.

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Adverse Camber supports the ambitionsof UK storytellers who are reaching fornew horizons in their work. We workclosely with partner venues to reach out tomore diverse audiences, transportingpeople into the incredibly diversesoundscapes and imaginative material ofthese rich oral tales.

We are inspired by the work of artistsacross many cultures for whom oraltraditions are fundamental source materialfor their own creativity. In storytelling,artists and audiences are part of a sharedexperience, so audiences are at the heartof everything we do.

Adverse Camber is passionate abouttaking risks on behalf of creative work.This programme illuminates the sourcematerial and craft which has gone intocreating this piece, the product of decadesof work by artists who combine respect forancient traditions with an enthusiasm forforging new pathways in contemporaryculture. We draw creative teams aroundeach piece we produce with the voices ofartists at the centre of the process.

More aboutAdverse Camber Adverse Camber is anindependent productioncompany, based amongstthe historic mills ofCromford, Derbyshire. Thecompany acts as a catalyst,bringing artists, partners,venues, audiences andfunders together to createelectrically chargedperformance encounterswith storytelling and music.

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We really hope you enjoy theexperience of tonight’sperformance, and join us for moreAdverse Camber tours. Please likeus on Facebook or Twitter andsign up for our newsletters to getfirst news of more shows comingsoon.

Special thanks to our funders ArtsCouncil England and the NationalLottery to whom we areexceptionally grateful, our venuepartners, and everyone in thegrowing Adverse Camber team.

Adverse Camber Team Producer Naomi WildsArtistic Advisor Paula Crutchlow Marketing Associates Jenny Babenko and Palmer SquaredPR Associate Rob AllenAssociate Producer Louisa DaviesAssistant Producer Amy MarshParticipation Associate Jan Reynolds

Look out for our future tours:

Fire in the North Sky: Epic Tales from Finland(Saatuja Sanoja).with storyteller Nick Hennesseyand three virtuoso musicians fromFinland

The Fourth Branch of theMabinogiwith storyteller Michael Harvey,singer Lynne Denman andcomposer/musician Stacey Blythe

With special thanks for theirsupport on The Shahnameh:mac birmingham, Union ChapelLondon, Marion Leeper andCambridge Stoytellers, Daniel Pittand everyone at CambridgeJunction.

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