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Concert Review: Homayoun Shajarian & Hessar Ensemble (NY) -
Date: February 18th, 2012
Venue: Town Hall New York Citytown
- Review by Piruz Partow
Why Shajarian’s Ensemble is named ‘Shahnaz’?
Turkey’s International Mevlana Foundation honored Iran’s living legend of traditional music Mohammad Reza Shajarian during the first night of his concerts in Konya, Turkey.
The International Mevlana Foundation honored Shajarian with a Golden pin and Shajarian presented his handwritten poems of Rumi as well as his cassettes to the foundation.
Shajarian performed concerts accompanied by the Shahnaz Ensemble over four days at the Konevi Cultural Center following an invitation from the International Mevlana Foundation. The program is a part of the week-long program at the 736th Commemoration of Rumi which is being held from December 7 to 17 in Konya.
At the beginning of the concert Shajarian expressed his thanks to the foundation as well as Konya Municipality for holding the program. Rumi’s 22nd niece Esin Celebi who is also the deputy director of the foundation said that Shajarian has a heavenly voice that attracts Rumi aficionados. She went on to say that Shajarian presented the world with peace, friendship and love with his songs during his career.
At the end of the concert, Shajarian performed his smash hit “Morgh-e Sahar” (The Bird of Dawn) following the audience’s clamoring to hear the piece.
Faramarz Payvar (1933-2009)
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, one of the most highly acclaimed interpreters of classical Iranian music, is defying the regime by forbidding the state-run radio station from playing his songs.
One of his principles has always been to stay out of day-to-day politics. But now Mohammad-Reza Shajarian has apparently had enough.
After seeing dozens of demonstrators killed and thousands arrested in the course of the brutal suppression of the democracy movement in Iran, he is raising his voice against the government, the voice of the most renowned singer of classical Persian music and as such one that is probably honoured more than any other in Iran.
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian has forbidden the state-run Iranian radio network from playing his music.
“After all that’s happened, I said: ‘Enough!’ and threatened to file a lawsuit if the state radio continued to play my songs”, Shajarian told the Associated Press news agency.
“It’s a message that I always had for the Iranian people: how to love each other, how to be good and kind to each other, to be united, But now it’s taken on a more important meaning.” — Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Nov 14, 2009, The Associated Press
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