And now, for something completely different. The announcement of this event reads, in part, as follows: “Hossein Alizadeh is a musical legend in his native Iran. He plays the Persian long-necked lute tār with unmatched virtuosity. Though his playing is rooted in the traditional music of his country, his performances bring it into the here and now.” Among Alizadeh’s innovations: an instrument called the shurangiz, representing a next generation for the traditional setar (the name alludes to passion). Zohre Gholipour and Mehdi Emami, two of Iran’s foremost vocalists, are along for the ride, backed up by an ensemble on tombak, ney, kamancheh, rubāb, setar (of course), and percussion. —Matthew Gurewitsch