TEHRAN -- Titan of traditional Iranian music Mohammadreza Shajarian is to give six performances of a concert entitled “Sadi, Master of Words” at Tehran’s National Grand Hall.

Shajarian accompanied by the Ava band including Majid Derakhshani, Mohammad Firuzi, Saeid Farajpuri, Homayun Shajarian, and Hossein Rezaiinia will be in concert on July 30 and 31, and August 2, 3, 5,6. At a press conference held here on Thursday, the director of the House of Music, Alireza Nurbakhsh said that the concerts were to have taken place at an earlier date but had been postponed due to the death of Shajarian’s mother (his mother passed away last week in Mashhad). Nurbakhsh also mentioned that the sale of tickets for Shajarian’s concerts had on previous occasions been problematic. “Many people waited long hours in queues without managing to buy tickets. So in this instance tickets will only be available through the internet and they will not be for sale at any box offices. “Tickets can be ordered from 10 a.m. on July 23 via the internet site, and sales will be limited to three per person. Residents of Tehran will later collect their tickets at specific locations which will be announced. Those residing in other cities should order via email or by cell phone SMS.” Shajarian’s son, Homayun, who was also present at the conference, gave further details, saying, “The concert is divided into two sections, of which the first is in Mahur dastgah and the second in Afshari dastgah (a dastgah in Iranian music is a set of notes, their features, and an associated group of traditional melodies that constitute a basis for improvising a performance). “The first section contains songs composed by Shajarian, Derakhshani, and Farajpuri, and the second section contains music without vocal accompaniment,” he added. He continued that the pieces to be performed in the Afshari dastgah have been previously recorded and the album will probably hit the market simultaneously with the performance of the concerts. Homayun also mentioned that photography will not be allowed during the performances, adding, “Live concerts need concentration and silence, and the movements of the photographers cause problems. We have our own photographers and cameramen who will provide photos for the press.” Ticket prices range from 100,000 to 300,000 rials, about $10 to $30, Homayun announced. Mohammadreza Shajarian was not able to attend the conference as he was in Mashhad for his mother’s commemoration ceremony