Russia’s proximity to Muslim lands has resulted in considerable artistic cross-fertilization. +American-Iranian pianist Tara Kamangar explores these connections as they apply to the traditions of...

Russia’s proximity to Muslim lands has resulted in considerable artistic cross-fertilization. +American-Iranian pianist Tara Kamangar explores these connections as they apply to the traditions of Iran and Russia. +On Tara’s first Delos album, we hear illustrative examples in works of several famous Russian composers. +But her emphasis here is on the music of two fascinating 20th century Iranian composers virtually unknown in the West, Aminollah Hossein and Loris Tjeknavorian.