**Termination of the “Koocheh Festival” in Solidarity with the People of Bandar Abbas**

Termination of the “Koocheh Festival” in Solidarity with the People of Bandar Abbas

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Following the announcement of public mourning and solidarity with the people of Bandar Abbas, the organizers of the Koocheh Festival announced that the festival has come to an end, and the remaining programs will not be held.

“The south is a home with a palm tree in its center, a canary in its corner, an old boat in its nook.

One of its rooms is Ahvaz, another is Bushehr, and its grand, vast, beautiful one is Bandar Abbas.

A home where one eye weeps, no longer having the strength, reed, or breath.

The alley, facing east, facing the port, embraces its knees and, from the peak of joy, falls silent in the depths of sorrow.

We await the days of Iran’s joy.

We ask the people of Bushehr to go all out for the days ahead. For the guests we have in the city, who have counted on staying in Bushehr. People of Bushehr! Without instruments, drums, or cheers, keep the guests’ hearts joyful.

Kudos to the police. You’ve honored us. You’ve stood by the people’s joyful hearts.

Kudos to the opponents. Truly, kudos. You didn’t take the family feud to the streets. You, too, are the beauty of this city of tolerance. The beauty of Bushehr, so beautiful.

Tonight, we gather in the courtyard of Saadat School, read the final story, entrust you to God, and, hopeful for the days crafted by the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, we head toward our lives, cherishing Iran’s beauty.

We bid farewell with longing.”

A massive explosion occurred on Saturday (6th Ordibehesht) at the “Shahid Rajai Port” in Bandar Abbas, resulting in 28 deaths, 6 missing persons, and 800 injuries so far. Mohammad Ashouri Taziani, the Governor of Hormozgan, declared three days of public mourning in the province following the explosion and the loss of several compatriots.

The fourth edition of the Koocheh Festival, which included live music concerts and cultural programs in Bushehr, was set to showcase unique regional folk traditions of Iran over five nights for its audience.

German, Mexican Pieces by Tehran Symphony Orchestra

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Date: 10 June 2017

Tehran Symphony Orchestra, the oldest and largest ensemble in Iran, will stage a concert on June 22 at Roudaki Hall in Tehran.

The event starts at 9:30 pm and will be conducted by Iranian-American composer, violinist, pianist and conductor Shahrdad Rohani, 62, according to the website of Iran Concert (iranconcert.com) where tickets are available.

Pieces by German composers and pianists of the Romantic period Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), as well as a composition by Mexican composer Arturo Marquez, 66, will be performed by the orchestra.

Romanticist pieces of the repertoire are Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 3.

Piano Concerto No.1 was written in 1795 and revised in 1800. It was Beethoven’s first piano concerto to be published, but actually his third attempt at the genre. Three movements make up the concerto: ‘allegro con brio’ in sonata form, but with an added orchestral exposition, a cadenza and a coda; ‘largo’ in song form; and ‘rondo (allegro schezando),’ a seven-part sonata rondo with piano conveying the main theme.

Symphony No. 3, the other piece of the period, to be covered at the event, was written by Brahms in 1883 nearly six years after he completed his Symphony No. 2. It is the shortest of his four symphonies. Of four movements it consists: ‘allegro con brio’ in sonata form; ‘adante’ in a modified sonata form; ‘poco allegretto’ in song form; and allegro – un poco sostenuto’ in a modified sonata form.

From the compositions by Marquez who incorporates native Mexican music into his works, the orchestra will perform Danzon No.2, one of the most popular contemporary classical Mexican compositions.

This staple of the contemporary Mexican music literature expresses and reflects on the dance-style ‘danzon’, which has its origins in Cuba but is a very important part of the folklore of the Mexican state of Veracruz.

Written for full orchestra, Danzon No. 2 features solos for clarinet, oboe, piano, violin, trumpet, and piccolo. The rhythmic interest in the piece is maintained through the use of varying accents and tempi.

Piano solos of the concert are to be performed by well-known Iranian pianist Bahareh Komai.

Source: Financial Tribune

Iranian Music ensembles honored at Harrmonie Festival in Germany

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Date: 7 June 2017

The Iranian ensembles Hamgam and Bamdad won prizes at the Harrmonie Festival in Limburg, Germany, the organizers announced last week.

Led by daf player Salar Mortazavi, Bamdad from Mashhad received the Special Prize for Best Instrumental Group in the International Folklore competition.

Meanwhile, Hamgam from Tehran won the Special Prize for Best Performance of Arranged Traditional Music in the International Choir competition. This ensemble was conducted by Farzin Abedini.

Numerous groups from Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Croatia, Macedonia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Turkey and several other countries participated in the festival, which was held from 25 to 28 May 2017.

Photo: Hamgam Ensemble at the Harrmonie Festival in Limburg, Germany

Source: Tehran Times

Armenian President awards Iranian musician Hossein Alizadeh

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Date: 3 June 2017

Armenian President Sourish Sarkisian awarded Iranian musician Razmik Ohanian the Movses Khorenatsi Medal in recognition of many years of his artistic career and efforts to bring the Armenian and Iranian nations together.

The medal was named after the Armenian historian and philosopher who lived in Armenia during the 5th century AD.

Ohanian, conductor of Tehran Chore Orchestra received the medal in a ceremony attended by several Armenian officials in Yerevan.

Ohanian was selected for his influential services to the Iranian and Armenian history and culture, valuable professional record in the field of music, various performances, introducing the Iranian and Armenian cultures in the international scenes.

He has grabbed numerous badges in the Iranian and foreign festivals for his artistic career.

The Movses Khorenatsi Medal is the Republic of Armenia’s highest cultural award. It is presented by the president to people who have significantly contributed to the advancement of Armenian culture.

Source: Iran Daily

Iran’s Alizadeh honored with Asian World Music Award

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Date: 3 June 2017

Iranian musician Hossein Alizadeh received Asian World Music Award from World Music Center.

The foundation working as world music center commemorates artists who connect their countries with other parts of the world, especially Asian countries.

According to YJC, Alizadeh is an Iranian composer, radif-preserver, researcher, teacher, and tar and setar instrumentalist and improviser, described by Allmusic as a leading Iranian classical composer and musician.

He has made numerous recording with prominent musicians including Mohammadreza Shajarian, Shahram Nazeri, Majid Khalaj and Djivan Gasparyan. He is a member of the musical group, Masters of Persian Music.

Alizadeh was born in 1951. As a teenager he attended secondary school at a music conservatory until 1975. His music studies continued at the University of Tehran, where his focus was composition and performance. He began postgraduate studies at the Tehran University of Art. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, he resumed his studies at the University of Berlin, where he studied composition and musicology.

Alizadeh plays the tar and setar. He has performed with two of Iran’s national orchestras, as well as with the Aref Ensemble, the Sheyda Ensemble, and Masters of Persian Music. In Europe, his first professional performance was with the Béjart Ballet Company’s orchestra in a performance of a Maurice Béjart ballet called Golestan.

Source: Iran Daily

Tehran orchestra premieres “Ruhollah Symphony”

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Conducted by Sohrab Kashef, “Ruhollah Symphony” composed by prolific Iranian composer Shahin Farhat in memory of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was premiered by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra on Monday 29 May 2017 at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

Tehran orchestra to perform “Nations’ Symphony”

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Date: 16 May 2017

The Tehran Symphony Orchestra conducted by Shahdad Rohani is scheduled to give a concert entitled “Nations’ Symphony” at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Tuesday 16 May 2017.

The Orchestra will play pieces by composers from Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, Australia, and Iran.

The Tehran Symphonic Orchestra will perform two concerts each month. In the past two months, the orchestra conducted by Rohani held a concert playing pieces by Tchaikovsky, Paul Dukas and Brahms for two consecutive

nights.

Source: Farairan

Tehran Orchestra to perform in the memory of Iranian Poet Nezami Ganjavi

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Date: 9 May 2017

Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in the capital’s Rudaki and Vahdat concert halls in May 2017.

The orchestra will be conducted by Arash Gouran with Pedram Faryousefi performing as violin soloist in the ensemble’s latest performance scheduled for 23-14 May 2017.

In the concert, the orchestra will play Leonid Desyatnikov’s transcript of ‘The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’ composed by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, and also the ‘Symphony for String Orchestra’ composed by Fikret Amirov.

Amirov wrote the piece in 1947 in the memory of late 12th century Iranian poet Nezami Ganjavi.

Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra has the history of hosting a number of well-known international musicians such as Japanese piano soloist, Noriko Ogawa and Ukrainian violin soloist Dmytro Tkachenko.

Source: Iran Daily

Azeri Kamancheh Virtuoso Coming to Rudaki

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Date: 6 May 2017

Rudaki Hall in Tehran will host Azeri folk concert titled “MY endless Love” on May 9-10 at 9 pm, featuring an internationally acclaimed Azeri musician Imamyar Hasanov.

US-based Azeri kamancheh virtuoso Imamyar Hasanov, accompanied by Iranian percussionist Babak Khademi, will perform ‘My Endless Love,’ an instrumental concert in two parts, according to the music website of navayefars.com.

The concert is planned to be an uplifting event with happy folk compositions from Azerbaijan including a number of fast-paced pieces.

According to Babak Khademi: “In the first part of the show, Hasanov will perform solo and in the second part, I will accompany him on percussion.”

“Last year, Hasanov visited Iran and conducted a series of master classes in Tabriz,” capital of East Azarbaijan Province. “It was during the same visit that we recorded an album together and he brought up the idea of a joint performance with me. Now his idea is being realized.”

Hasanov has collaborated with other celebrated Iranians including Persian classical musician and tonbak player Pejman Hadadi, traditional musician and percussionist Pezhham Akhavass and choreographer Shahrokh Meshkinqalam.

“Joint performance with Imamyar would be an unpredictable task. I immensely enjoy the accompaniment and I’m certain that the audiences too will find the show enjoyable.”

Tickets for the program are available at the website of Iran Concert (iranconcert.com). Roudaki Hall is located on Shahryar Blvd., Hafez St., south of Enqelab Ave.

Source: Financial Tribune

Persian Song Night on May 20

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Date: 6 May 2017

A special program on Iranian music ‘Night of Persian Song,’ will be held on May 20 at Soureh Hall in Tehran.

This is the 19th edition of the event, starting at 6 pm with performances by six ensembles, a group of special guests and five young bands competing.

Their performances will be evaluated by master musicians who are well-known in Iranian music and songs. One ensemble will be the winner.

The program is aimed to discover, introduce and promote young and less-known artists in Iranian traditional music and singing while at the same time pay homage to pioneers and veterans.

Notable among the participating bands are the duo, vocalist Hossein Saemi, 42 and setar player Ali Badri, 36. Saemi will sing verses by the celebrated Persian poet Hafez (1315-1390) in the ‘dastgah’ or Persian musical mode of Segah.

Another prominent pair at the event is vocalist Kian Hamedinejad, 34, and tar player Adib Forouzan, 28. Hamedinejad will sing ‘Song in Dashti,’ an unmetered, improvised song which is a sub-mode of Shur musical mode. His song is based on poems by prominent poet, essayist and translator Hossein Monzavi (1946-2003).

Photo: The Poster announcing the event.

Source: Financial Tribune