We are proud to announce the fifth album release by Tember Ensemble. ‘Moers Journey’ is a live recording album, resulting from an improvisation concert at the renowned ‘Moers Festival’ in Germany; therefore have taken its title from it. As of now (November 25), The album is on Digital Pre-Order on Bandcamp and will be released simultaneously with the next performance by the ensemble.
Tember is a transcultural Electroacoustic Music Ensemble. Alireza Ostovar has co-funded the ensemble in Berlin in 2020. The ensemble works to create innovative music, reaching for new timbres of sound and unique atmospheres, using both traditional and contemporary music elements and techniques in the form of electroacoustic music. Members of the ensemble are Alireza Ostovar (Composition and Live-electronics), Valentina Bellanova (Nay/Flute), Kioomars Musayyebi (Iranian Santur), and Petros Tzekos (Percussions).
Tember Ensemble is open to new formations and collaborations, finding it essential to combine different instrumentations with live-electronics and create interdisciplinary performances. The ensemble has collaborated with international guest musicians and artists, including Arman Moghadam, a video artist, to craft a live-video presentation for the Tember Ensemble’s performance at Moers Festival 2023.
Coming swiftly on the heels of their previous spiritual album, “Fall and Rise, “Tember Ensemble’s new album carries forward this artistic journey. Their last album explored the profound themes of life and death.
This live album is performed and recorded in the renowned ‘Moers Jazz Festival’ in 2023, with each piece as an evocative narrative interwoven into their participation in the festival, not only encapsulating the essence of their musical identity but mostly paying attention to the issues in the political landscapes of Iran. This is a deep and sincere regard and respect for the whole body of human beings who work to bring awareness and amplify the voices of people in Iran. This ensemble became a powerful medium for the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in Germany, explicitly touching the subject with every spontaneous note and rhythm.
November 25th also marks a very important date for raising awareness (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day). It has significance because the original performance was naturally aimed at having an affinity with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” [‘Zan, Zendegi, Azadi’] Movement as a way to amplify the people’s voice in Iran through art, and now the release date and the next performance is going to coincide at this important date.The ensemble hopes that making art, and in case this effort to produce the album, can resonate with calls for peace in Iran and West-Asia and move towards a more peaceful world.