In this CD collection, the renowned musicologist Jean During gathers a dozen songs, mostly from Tajikistan, composed around the poetry of the Persian poet Hafez. In Iran, Hafez's poetry is always sung in the free classical style, and rarely in songs with measured rhythms. In the traditions of Transoxiana, on the other hand, almost all classical and semi-classical songs use poems by major and minor poets, ancient and modern. Here, creativity is expressed not through improvisation but in traditional arrangements and compositions, and the result is music of great quality and originality. Approximate running time: 70 minutes.