The Razbar ensemble was founded in 1997 by a group of Kurdish men and women from Iran living in Germany. Without any political or nationalist intentions, their objective was to preserve and revive the music, songs and traditions of the Ahl-e Haqq.
The group takes its name from Saint Razbar, mother of Soltan Sahâk, the founder of this path 700 years ago. All members of the group are deeply connected to this tradition. They consider their songs, melodies, rhythms and dances to be a form of devotion into which they pour their heart and soul. Moreover, the musicians of this group have a high professional qualification acquired in their environment of origin.
The Razbar ensemble’s main purpose is to present and preserve an ancient musical heritage that is rooted in a strong cultural and spiritual tradition but is at risk of extinction or acculturation.
The heritage that Razbar intends to preserve, revitalize and share with the public, presents itself in two aspects: the profane and the sacral. However these categories are not strictly seperated but sometimes merge into one another. Razbar’s program consists of folkloric dances and polyrhythmic compositions for percussion instruments (daf) on the one hand, and sacral vocal and instrumental music, performed either within or outside of its ritual context, on the other.
Razbar gained its global reputation through the beauty and power of its sacral songs and litanies (zekr and samâ). In order to present the secular aspect of Kurdish culture, Razbar has also worked on a repertoire of festive melodies and dances. Depending on the requirements of concert organizations, Razbar can provide the following: