The Sound of the Billions Calling for Peace

By Michele E. Buttelman - The Signal - Santa Clarita, CA, U.S.A.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Persian musician Hafez Nazeri has a vision where music can bridge the gap between cultures and a new form of music -one that equally melds old and new with a world view - can inspire people of all ages and cultures.

Nazeri, one of Iran's most influential young composers, will lead a performance of his large scale Rumi Symphony Project with the world premiere of the project's Cycle Number One at a single performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, on Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m.

"I think it is a phenomenal concert hall, the acoustics are wonderful," Nazeri said.

Nazeri's original compositions will be performed by a nine piece ensemble featuring both Persian performers and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including Nazeri's father - Shahram Nazeri, the internationally acclaimed vocalist from Iran.

The second part of the concert features all new compositions that have never been performed before.

The ensemble includes Liuh-Wen Ting, viola; Louise Schulman, viola, viola d'amore; Ben Hong, cello; Dennis Karmazyn, cello; David Allen Moore, double bass; Salar Nader, Indian Percussion; and Hussein Zahawy, daf, dohol, percussion.

Hafez Nazeri will also perform on the setar (a-four-stringed lute), during the concert.

"I am very delighted to have these magnificent musicians in my group," he said. "They are kind and very generous toward my project as well, they do whatever they can to help the project."

Nazeri said it is an honor to have his father perform his music.

"I cannot even put it in words how important my father is to me and how important it is for this group," he said. "He has a 1,000 years in his voice he is the perfect musician himself. He is like the Pavarotti of Iran, he is amazing."

Nazeri said his compositions reflect a new language of music.
"This is not just Persian music, it has elements of classical Western, American Jazz, Indian Ragas and African rhythms melded into a whole. It takes the tradition of Persian music, but makes it something more," he said.

In addition to his music, Nazeri wanted to share the philosophy of Rumi - the 13th century Persian poet, jurist and theologian. The Rumi Symphony Project celebrates the 800th anniversary of Rumi, who is known as the most popular Sufi poet in history.

"My father was the first person to set Rumi to music in Iran," Hafez Nazeri said.

Shahram Nazeri (who has been dubbed the Persian Nightingale) first set Rumi's Divan-e Shams to Persian music 35 years ago - which established a new tradition of Sufi music.

"Growing up in my family, I learned so much about Rumi, most important we learned about his philosophy of life. He was a philosopher, not just a poet. His poems are not just pieces of literature - but a philosophy of life."

"I have tried to portray a little bit of his philosophy in my music," Hafez Nazeri said. "Anyone can repeat his poem, what it is important is to create something that can convey his universal message as well - so I have tried to portray his ideas of life in my music. Rumi is an important figure in my music. Rumi's poetry talks about unity and love and peace and I have tried to send this message through my music."

Nazeri said he feels his music is able to connect people to each other.

"If you come to my concert there will be nine musicians coming from five or six different countries, with different languages, different musical backgrounds, sitting next to each other and creating music," he said. "It shows how we are all connected to each other and how we can all be united together."

Nazeri said he feels his music is needed at this time in history.

"When you listen to the news, you hear about war and you hear about people attacking each other, what you don't hear is the billions of people calling for peace. And my music is the sound of those people and where this can be heard," he said.

In addition to the message, Nazeri said his music is also about tradition and effort to create something entirely new.

"I wanted to create something new with this 7,000-year-old treasure that I had in my background and take that diamond - a deep and beautiful and ancient music - and take it to the 2st century," Nazeri said.

Nazeri said the Rumi Symphony Project will be an ongoing effort.
"I plan for this to continue for 20 to 30 years," he said. "I'm going to present new music and have different projects."

Nazeri also has released a new CD "The Passion of Rumi."

"Rumi Symphony Project cycle Number One," 8 p.m. Aug. 17, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets: $35-150, plus VIP seating. (213) 227-9291 and available through TicketMaster.com or (213) 365-6500.

Visit www.musiccenter.org/wdch/
www.myspace.com/hafeznazeri
http://rumandhumble.com/

Soaring

By Don Heckman - Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Monday, August 20, 2007

Shahram Nazeri's astonishing voice soars over a mix of Iranian and Western sounds

Iranian singer Shahram Nazeri has been described, with some hyperbole, as "The Persian Nightingale" and "Iran's Pavarotti."

But his performance Friday night at Disney Hall suggested that neither label provides an accurate depiction of the length and breadth of either his art or his voice.

The program featured a pair of ensembles -- five players in the first half; seven in the second -- performing compositions by Nazeri's son, Hafez, incorporating combinations of Western and Iranian instruments. At the center of the music, driving it, illuminating it, enhancing it, was Shahram's Nazeri's voice.

Terms such as "Nightingale" and "Pavarotti" are inadequate because they are far too simplistic as references. Nazeri is indeed as mesmerizing as a nightingale, but his interpretive range -- even for listeners who have no understanding of his language -- reaches beyond night music into the full gamut of emotional expressiveness.

Nor is he a tenor, like Pavarotti, singing a familiar repertoire. Nazeri's vocal range reached from whisper-soft, utterly intimate chest tones to ringing, high falsettos, sometimes sliding with astonishing ease from one to the other.

What he sang -- much of it based upon poetic Rumi lines such as "I have returned, returned from my beloved. . . " -- was spontaneously invented. Like a jazz artist, Nazeri's improvisations were delivered within specific musical frameworks. And the genius of Nazeri -- like that of, say, John Coltrane or Charlie Parker -- is his capacity to create, on the spot, extraordinary aural visions.

At one point, Nazeri came onstage alone, accompanying himself on a lute-like setar, singing a tune familiar to the many Iranians in the full house. Unlike the soaring impromptus, its simple, repetitive melody had the instant familiarity of pop songs from every culture.

Yet even here, Nazeri brought a transcendent quality to every note he sang.

The compositions by Hafez Nazeri -- the "Rumi Symphony Project: Cycle I" -- reached beyond the iconic Persian poet-philosopher to find inspiration from Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis," as well.

The younger Nazeri's goal has been to find a common ground between instrumental cultures without having to distort the essential elements of each. For the most part, he succeeded in doing so.

The opening "OM" segment, for example, featuring the brilliant playing of cellist Ben Hong, moved from a meditative beginning into a Western-like cadenza, subtly combing qualities of East and West.

Other segments took similar tacks, with well-crafted playing from bassist David Moore, cellist Dennis Karmazyn, violists Louise Schulman and Liuh Wen Ting, and dramatic displays of daf drumming from Hussein Zahawy and Indian tabla playing from Salar Nader.

A few passages, especially in the premiere performance of "Eternity," could clearly have benefited from additional rehearsal time. But that's a small complaint for a program that allowed Shahram Nazeri's voice to soar over an ambitious collection of cross-cultural music.

[picture from http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/ict/AAA/forest.htm]

Shahram Nazeri in Concert in Atlanta

Shahram Nazeri, perhaps Iran's best Sufi musician, will be in concert with the Rumi ensemble in Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday March 11, 8 pm at the Atlanta Symphony Hall, Robert Woodruff Art Center, 1293 Peachtree St. Tickets run from $60 to $30 and can be purchased at the Symphony Hall Box office 404-733-5000. For information call 678-357-3572 and 770-205-8051.

See the following for excerpts from an article about him by Michael McDonagh, in Bay Area Reporter, Feb. 16, 2006.
http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=music&article=107

"Where everything is music"

Musicians Shahram (left) and Hafez Nazeri. Photo: Bahram Daneshvar

"The 26-year-old Persian musician Hafez Nazeri, whom we caught on the phone last week when he was in Sacramento, is jazzed about his touring project, which has occupied him for the last three years, and which he brings to town [San Francisco] this Saturday. "My father, Shahram Nazeri, started singing Rumi's poetry 35 years ago," he says quietly yet firmly."

"Nazeri's upcoming concert ...is a very big deal. "In this project, there's a kind of fusion. It's not any more Persian, and not any more classical," but something which Nazeri, who's been singing since the ripe old age of three, and studying and performing on several Persian instruments since he was nine, calls "Modern Persian Classical Music." Like the great Lebanese composer, oud master and UNESCO Artist for Peace honoree Marcel Khalife, Nazeri's intent on pushing the boundaries of his culture's received tradition. At any rate, he will be combining sounds from Eastern and Western musical traditions, and he praises his musicians to the skies. Of his father, Nazeri says, "He developed a new style of singing for traditional Persian music, and he has a very unique style." "

"His father's nephew, Siavash Nazeri, whom Hafez calls "the greatest daf [Persian frame drum] in history," will be on that instrument; Salar Nader, whom he dubs "the greatest student of Zakir Hussein," on tabla; Liuh Wen Ting — "she's one of the best" — on viola; and James Wilson, "one of the top 10 cellists," on cello; and Hafez will be playing the Persian lute, the etar. So the musically adventurous will hear musicians from four different cultures — Indian, Persian, Taiwanese Chinese, and American — together on one stage."

"Nazeri is obviously intelligent, as well as totally committed to the path he's chosen — or maybe it chose him, as Shams chose Rumi, or Rumi chose Shams. Whatever the case, the coupling of Rumi's poems with Hafez's music and his father's singing will probably sound inevitable, even predestined. But how does Hafez feel about the country of his birth as AIPAC, the neocons, the EU, the UN, and the Bush Administration are poised to impose sanctions and probably far worse things to get its oil?"

" 'I think it's very unfortunate, very upsetting. If you forget about yourself, you fight with yourself and others. With our music, let's be in peace, and come back to who we really are. I think that whatever we are doing, we have to love each other and respect each other.' That's hardly a bad place to be as the tired, bloated, desperate West goes its warring way. Let's not forget that Sufi music is one of the finest flowers of Islam. And the Blue Mosque in Istanbul ain't bad, either. We need people like the Nazeris and their musical collaborators, and we certainly need Rumi. Now probably more than ever."

A Political Message of Peace

By Anne Penketh, "Observations: Persian poet's musical journey" - The Independent - London, England, UK
Friday, January 9, 2009

He has performed sell-out concerts across America and in his native Iran. The composer Hafez Nazeri is hoping that this year, his mystical musings inspired by the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi can be just as successful in Britain.

"I'm trying to bring the world together with a music that can talk to everyone," says the classically trained Nazeri who is now in London, where he has just recorded his first CD with the London Symphony Orchestra. Nazeri's brand integrates the melodic sounds of the West with those of Iran, to produce a "spiritual journey" based on the work of Persia's great Sufi poet.

"I'm bringing a fresh sound to classical music," says Nazeri, a 29-year-old tenor who is an accomplished player of the setar and the tambour, traditional Persian string instruments. "The idea behind it is a political message of unity, of peace and friendship and love."

Nazeri emerged from the shadow of his father, Shahram Nazeri, when he put together a Rumi ensemble while the legendary singer, who has been called the "Pavarotti of Iran" was on tour. But his father encouraged him to follow his own path from a young age: the piece performed by Nazeri with the LSO, Night Angel, was written when he was 16.

Now he is working on a project for a Rumi symphony, whose first cycle was performed in August 2007, marking the 800th anniversary of the poet's birth. Nazeri plans to return to London with his father as part of a world tour.

Rumi has become America's most popular poet, and Nazeri senses that British audiences will respond to his bridge-building approach.

"The idea of the Rumi symphony is to show another dimension of my country, to show the beauty of the country," he says.

[Picture: Setar. Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setar].

No Space for ‘Hatred’

MNA, "Imitation leads to superficial productions: vocalist Nazeri" - Mehr News - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri is convinced that imitation leads to superficial productions.

In a press conference held here on Tuesday at the Iranian Artist Forum, Nazeri said that Iranian music is heading toward imitation by some masters of music, and that, “we are encountering an unpleasant situation for music these days.”

“Following a spectacular decade of music that we experienced right after the Islamic Revolution, some masters began to train students to imitate their own styles. This has spoiled ‘creativity’ which, of course, is the major essence of any artist,” he added.

He went on to say, “The old masters used to train their students in such a way that each one would find his own style and feeling and as a result would create something new, leading to variety in the art of music.”

Nazeri remarked that he considers himself a musician first, then a singer. As a musician he has always been trying to study and to do research work, saying “I never liked to be an imitator and always liked to exalt my art and music.”

“I believe in change and I hope these changes will lead to great results and that I can carry new messages about my homeland to the rest of the world,” he explained.

In Nazeri’s opinion, one of the major messages of art and music is “peace” and that there is no space for ‘hatred’ in an artist’s heart.

Nazeri who has been making use of ‘blank verse’ poetry in his songs, continued, “I mainly focus on poetry by Rumi, Ferdowsi as well as Persian blank verse.”

Nazeri and his band “Molavi” are resuming concert tours after a lapse of five years, with a two-night performance in Qazvin on July 15 and 16.

They will travel to other cities including Yazd, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Rasht, Sari and Tehran.

Nazeri was presented with the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur medal, one of the most coveted trophies in the world of art and culture, by the French government during a ceremony in Paris in September 2007.

It was given to him in recognition of the meticulous attention he has paid to the musical interpretation and vocalization of the transcendent lyrics of the Iranian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.

[Picture: Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri attends a press conference at the Iranian Artist Forum in Tehran on July 8 for his upcoming tour concert in Iran. Photo: Mehr/Azin Zanjani].

I'm Not a Poet: Go Beyond

By Don Heckman - Los Angeles Times - CA, U.S.A.
Thursday, August 16, 2007

Iranian composer takes Rumi's poetry to new heights
The words "Rumi" and "Disney" may not seem to belong in the same sentence -- or even the same location.

But they'll be together tonight, Friday, when Iranian composer Hafez Nazeri presents the world premiere of his Rumi Symphony Project at Disney Hall, celebrating the 800th birthday of the Persian poet and mystic.

Nazeri is the son of vocalist Shahram Nazeri, an icon of Persian music -- described as the "Persian Nightingale" and "Iran's Pavarotti." The elder Nazeri will be featured in the Rumi Project.

"My father was the first Iranian singer to set Rumi's poetry to music, 35 years ago," Nazeri says. "And I grew up studying, learning so many things about Rumi's life."We consider Rumi not just a poet, but a philosopher. And what we wanted to do, especially since he has become so popular in the West, is show his reality in our music."

"You know, in one of his poems, Rumi says, 'I'm not a poet. Poems are just an excuse for me to say what I want to say. Go beyond my poetry.' "

Nazeri's composition for a seven-piece ensemble combines Western instrumentation (violas and cellos) with Iranian setar daf and Indian percussion.

"We've tried to portray Rumi's philosophy of life, the message of love, the message of peace," Nazeri says. "And that's my challenge, especially when the media is full of war and fighting. Here I am, a 28-year-old Iranian guy, coming to Disney Hall with a music that tries to bridge West and East, that tries to be the sound of the billions of people who are calling for peace, not war.

I like to think that's something Rumi would have understood."

--"In the Path of Rumi," Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Friday. $35 to $150. (323) 850-2000.

[read also: http://sufinews.blogspot.com/search?q=nazeri]

[picture: Hafez Nazeri --composer, musician and artistic director Rumi Simphony Project. Photo Nick Saglimbeni/LATimes].

The New Setar

TE/HGH, "Iran's Hafez Nazeri unveils new Setar" - Press TV - Tehran, Iran
Friday, May 1, 2009

Iranian musician Hafez Nazeri has unveiled his new Persian string instrument which is believed to be a developed form of the Setar.

“The new Setar is easier to tune, and has a larger body and two more strings that give it additional sound volume,” Nazeri told a press conference in Tehran.

“I did not want to create a thoroughly new instrument, because I believe Persian music only needs to be developed and all we have to do is to perfect our traditional instruments,” he added.

Nazeri registered the design for his new instrument, called Hafez, in the US in 2000 and claims to have designed 20 new instruments so far. Hafez has been made by Majid and Saeed Safari, who according to Nazeri have worked on it every day for the past year.

Son of prominent vocalist and musician Shahram Nazeri, Hafez has been playing Tambour, Setar and Daf since young. Hafez has accompanied his father in numerous international music festivals and has performed in many others, including Belgium's Sfinks, Italy's Festa del Popolo, France's Theatre de la Ville and Lebanon's Beiteddine festivals.

He has also received a UCLA creativity award for most distinguished young composer and the Irvine City Hall Award of Distinction in Kurdish music for his contributions to spreading through music mystic Persian poet Mowlavi's spiritual message of peace.

San Diego County named February 25, 2006 the 'Hafez Nazeri Day' and he has been invited to lecture at Emory University and Harvard where he was honored for his efforts and innovations in Persian music.

Hafez Nazeri has also received a recognition award from the US Congress.

A Beautiful Sound

TT Art Desk, "Hafez Nazeri to accompany dad at Paris concert with new setar" - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran

Hafez Nazeri, the son of vocalist Shahram Nazeri, is to accompany his dad with his new instrument “Hafez” at the Paris concert

In a press conference held on Thursday, father and son as well as conductor Loris Tjeknavorian attended. Hafez (Nazeri) gave some details about the new instrument.

“During the time I was in the United States giving solo performances with the setar, I discovered that this instrument needed changes in its pitch and bass range.”

“I felt the necessity for changes due to innovations that have occurred in playing techniques over the years. It was in 2002 I developed two modified designs for setar and patented them in the U.S,” he said.

Hafez noted that he actually did not intend to design a new instrument, since Iranian music does not require it, adding, “The only change in this new setar is that it has a flatter handle and two additional strings which allow the addition of 10 new notes to its range. On choosing the name Hafez, he said, “It was not just because my first name is Hafez. The major thing is that the word hafez means to preserve (oral heritage and music) and on the other hand it bears the great name of the Persian poet Hafez.”

“I am not a musical instrument maker but rather, I am a musician who is interested in the beauty of the music. When I drew up the design, I showed it to the brothers Majid and Saeid Safari who built over 15 instruments and we finally settled on this design,” he explained.

Shahram Nazeri was next to talk and said, “Despite some who disagree with any change in traditional music, I agree with new experiments. Perhaps others feel that traditional music is a divine entity bestowed upon us and hence, there should be no changes made to it. I respect their ideas, but there are other dynamic individuals who want to experience new ideas, using their creativity.”

“I myself always made changes in singing. I believe the destination is not important, what is important is the route one takes. Maybe it will turn out to be a winner, maybe it won’t. On the whole, experiencing the innovative is a good omen,” he mentioned.

Tjeknavorian continued and said that he agrees with Shahram Nazeri, saying, “I never liked to stick with old traditions for their own sake. On the whole, when you wake up every morning, you should learn something from old tradition and then find a creative, new way to apply it.”

On the characteristics of the new instrument, he said, “I am so happy to get to know Hafez (Nazeri). We also both recently recorded one song in London which was a wonderful experience.”

“I congratulate Hafez for his work. The instrument has a beautiful sound and I hope I can write a concerto for this special instrument. The sound I heard from this instrument was what I recall hearing from the setar of master Ahmad Ebadi. This sound should not change and should remain as it is,” he commented.

Shahram Nazeri later talked about his concert in Paris and said, “Hafez and I are holding a concert at the Salle Pleyel hall in Paris on May 16 and will be accompanied by Azerbaijan’s great singer Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana. This is the first time two singers from the East are giving performances together.”

Harmony

Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Asia Society honors Shahram Nazeri with Lifetime Cultural Heritage Award

Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri received the Lifetime Cultural Heritage Award at the Annual Dinner of the Asia Society of New York on November 6. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and a number of cultural and political figures and entrepreneurs attended the event.

In his acceptance speech, Nazeri expressed hope that music would bring all the people of the world together in harmony.

He also gave a special performance at the ceremony, accompanied by his son Hafez Nazeri and the Rumi Ensemble.

“Shahram Nazeri is a musical icon. I am delighted that he will be performing with the Rumi Ensemble this evening,” Ban Ki-moon said.

In recognition of the work Nazeri has done on the musical vocalization of the lyrics of the Iranian poet Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi, the French government presented Nazeri the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur medal during a ceremony in Paris on September 29.

An Outstanding Quality of Devotion

TT Art Desk - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Monday, December 17, 2007

The Selçuk University paid tribute to Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri by appointing him as honorary head of its Rumi research center in Konya on December 15.

He also received the Golden Sama medal, which was awarded by Rumi’s 22nd niece, Esin Celebi.

“I have received many medals over the past few years, but I consider this award to be the most important of them all,” Nazeri said.

The honoring ceremony was held before the commencement of Nazeri’s concert held in commemoration of the 800th birth anniversary of the Iranian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.

Nazeri’s performances are famous for their quality of devotion to Rumi’s poetry.

“The most important message of Rumi was unity and the avoidance of division,” Celebi said during the ceremony. “I’m happy that we have enthusiastically gathered together here to commemorate the high status of Rumi,” she added.

Nazeri was presented with the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur medal, one of the most prestigious awards in the world of art and culture, in Paris on September 29.

It was given to him in recognition of the scholarly interest he has taken in the musical interpretation and vocalization of the transcendent lyrics of Rumi.

'Persian Nightingale'

NA/MK, "Greece to host Iranian vocalist" - Press TV - Tehran, Iran
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Shahram Nazeri, one of the most prominent Persian vocalists, is scheduled to perform classical and mystic pieces in Athens, Greece.

The Hellenic Festival will witness a 90-minute performance by Nazeri. He will perform songs adapted from the works of outstanding Iranian poets Mowlavi and Hafez.

Nazeri will be accompanied by fellow Iranian artists, the virtuoso Tanbur player Ali-Akbar Moradi, percussionist Pejman Haddadi and Daf player Kourosh Moradi.
Three-stringed Tanbur and Daf (frame drum) are traditional Persian music instruments.

Greek lyrist Matthaios Tsachourides will also collaborate with the ensemble.

In September 2007, Nazeri received the French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres Medal for his significant role in advancing traditional Persian music.

Nazeri, also known as the 'Persian Nightingale', is slated to perform in Athens' Scholeion Theatre on July 25.

Concert spotlights Persian poet

Show promotes cultural exchange
By Dean Calbreath
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 28, 2006

In the past decade, the works of medieval Persian poet Jelaluddin Rumi have been resurrected in many forums, from readings by the likes of Madonna and Goldie Hawn to an operatic extravaganza by composer Philip Glass.

Iranian-Kurdish singer Shahram Nazeri performed his son, Hafez's, composition "In the Steps of Rumi" - a melding of Western and Persian themes.
In a break from tradition, the Nazeris have developed an interpretation of Rumi's work that melds classical Western music with the traditional music of Iran, blending the sounds of the viola and cello with such ancient Persian instruments as the daf and setar. Hafez Nazeri, who composed the work, hopes this combination of Western and Persian traditions might serve as a model for both sides to learn from each other.

“The idea is to embrace change while remaining true to your own culture and the traditions of the past,” Hafez said. “That's vital for the health of Persian music – and the health of Persian culture as a whole.”

The composition, “In the Steps of Rumi,” resonated with the 1,000 or so Iranians and Kurds who heard the Nazeris perform at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido on Friday. They tapped their feet and clapped along with some of the livelier pieces – folk tunes from Shahram Nazeri's hometown of Kermanshah – and gave the troupe no fewer than four standing ovations.

Rumi was a natural choice for an intercultural composition. In his day, the Sufi Muslim's ruminations on the nature of love struck a chord among listeners from the Buddhists of China to the Christians of Europe.

In the 1990s, Rumi had a revival in the West. An English translation of his poems sold more than 100,000 copies – a decent run for 800-year-old poetry. Bill Moyers featured a show on Rumi in his PBS poetry series “Language of Life.” Madonna, Hawn and the late civil-rights activist Rosa Parks were among the voices on a CD of Rumi's poetry. Deepak Chopra set Rumi's poems to music.
But in Iran, the most popular settings of Rumi's poetry were the strictly traditional interpretations of Shahram Nazeri, a Kurdish singer who has spent the past 35 years reviving ancient traditions in Persian music.

Five years ago, Shahram's son, Hafez, who was then 21, put together the Rumi Ensemble, a troupe that toured 20 cities in Iran with a slightly modernized take on the age-old music. One performance in Tehran drew 140,000 people – one of the biggest concerts ever in the Middle East.

With encouragement from his father, Hafez moved to New York to study Western composition at the Mannes College of Music. While reading Franz Kafka's “Metamorphosis,” he decided to create a piece of music that would reflect a cultural metamorphosis by intertwining the classical strains of Persia and Europe.

Unlike classical Persian music, in which individual pieces stay within the same musical scale, Hafez used the broader Western range of multiple keys. He kept the quarter-tones found in Near Eastern scales, but melded them into Western harmonic structures.

In Friday's performance, Hafez played the Persian setar, similar to the Indian sitar, as his father sang. Hafez's cousin, Siavash Nazeri – who is moving to San Diego – played the daf, a Persian drum so versatile that it had the power of a small percussion ensemble.

Taiwan-born Liuh-Wen Ting, who is more accustomed to accompanying Broadway musicals than medieval Persian music, played the viola. Peter Wyrick, associate principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony, played the cello. Salar Nadar, an Afhgan from Germany, played tabla, bongo-like drums from Northern India.

CD release: The Passion of Rumi

By Richard Marcus - Blogcritics Magazine - Aurora, OH, U.S.A.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Sharam and Hafez Nazeri are father and son who have followed in the footsteps of generations of Persian and Iranian musicians in attempting to interpret the work of Sufi mystics through music.

But it was Shahram, 35 years ago, who first set the words of Rumi to music and has gained a huge international following because of his amazing voice and the passion he brings to his work.

Hafez began his musical education at the age of three and hasn't stopped since then. In an attempt to broaden his horizons, he left Iran to study musical composition in the West. In the year 2000, he assembled a group of young musicians to perform his father's compositions based on the poetry of Rumi.

The Rumi Ensemble toured 20 cities in Iran. Their concerts in Tehran alone drew 140,000 people setting attendance records for the Middle East. In 2005, he put together a new Rumi Ensemble for a highly successful tour of the United States.

The music from the first concert series has now released as the CD, The Passion Of Rumi. The CD features the vocal harmonies and melodies written by Shahram that made him famous, and music composed by Hafez that compliments and honors those songs.

Hafez refers to the program of music as a duet between instruments and voice.

Although some versions of the ensemble have seen the inclusion of Western instruments like cello and violin, this version taken from the tapes of the original Iranian tour utilizes only the Mid Eastern stringed instruments; Keammanche alto, Barbat, and Setar with percussion accompaniment supplied by Daf, Tombak, and Damams.

While this set up might appear skimpy to our eyes used to far more instruments from a group referred to as an ensemble, once you begin listening to the music you won't be aware of any deficiency in sound.

Various reviewers have tried to describe Shahram Nazeri's voice and I'll now join the ranks of those who fail miserably to do him justice.

How do you describe something that manages to transcend being merely physically present and that manages to communicate on a spiritual level? I could tell you technical details about how amazing his control and range are; that he can sing in a near whisper that will carry for miles, each individual note is so crisp and clean.

Or that he can sing notes of such depth that they cause your sternum to vibrate and then takes his voice to places that are almost beyond our capacity to hear they are so clean and high.

Would it make more sense if I said that when he sang he reached down inside himself and opened his heart the better to reach out to every single person living.

How about, that it feels like when he sings the secrets of the universe can be heard and the wonders of creation are no longer a mystery. A passion for life that is tangible suffuses each phrase and sends ripples through his voice in the form of tremolos that sends a shiver through your spirit.

Lyrics become immaterial, and at times he is vocalizing sounds in the same manner as a Jazz musician improvising. It's when he releases his hold on lyrics and sets out on these vocal runs with the music swirling around him like leafs cycling in an autumn wind, that you remember that not only was Rumi a Sufi but also the inspiration for the Dervish sects as well.

However, instead of just a select few dancers immersing in the words and splendor of Rumi, all who listen to Nazeri are given the opportunity to travel the road of musical meditation.

I don't know if anyone but Hafez Nazeri could have composed music that was appropriate for his father's songs. Not only did it require a thorough understanding of the music, but an awareness of the connection his father had to the songs in order to create the perfect balance between the needs of the overall piece and the vocalist's extraordinary abilities.

The Inextinguishable Thirst for Love and Light

TON, "Shahram Nazeri will close third edition of “Mûsîqât”" - Tunisia Online News - Tunis, Tunisia
Saturday, September 20, 2008

On Saturday evening, the curtain will fall on the third edition of “Mûsîqât”, the festival of traditional and neo-traditional music.

The last artist who will perform on the Mûsîqât stage is the renowned Iranian singer and musician Shahram Nazeri, also known as the ‘Persian nightingale’.

A fitting closing evening for a successful festival whose eclecticism has attracted a great number of music lovers.

Shahram Nazeri who was born in 1949 in Kermanshah in the Iranian Kurdistan, is initiated very young by his father to the memorization and recitation of the poems of the great Sufi poet Jalaleddine Rumi. Soon, the young boy will become one of the great masters of Iranian classical singing.

His strong, warm and moving voice which has toured the world, will no doubt mark its stamp on his Tunisian audience, as it sings the texts of Persia’s mystic poets such as Rumi, Hafez, and Saadi, and man’s quest for the divine, as well as his inextinguishable thirst for love and light.

“Molana Is Hidden”

Tehran Times Culture Desk, "Amirkabir University honors Rumi experts"- Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Iranian experts and researchers on Rumi were honored in a ceremony named “Molana Is Hidden” held at the venue of Amirkabir University on Monday.

Tribute was paid to researcher Mohammad-Ali Eslami Nadushan and expert Bahaeddin Khorramshahi during the ceremony attended by many scholars and students.

Khorramshahi made an opening speech, saying, “We are a harmonious nation that takes great interest in literature and poetry. Due attention has been paid to the Masnavi of Molana over the past 50 years, but whenever the name of Molana Jalal-ad Din Rumi is cited, the names of the scholars Mohammadreza Shafiei Kadkani and Badiozzaman Foruzanfar are also brought to mind,” he added.

The head of the Majlis library Ahmad Jalali was the next speaker who handed a medal to Khorramshahi on behalf of the students of Amirkabir University.
(...)
Vocalist Shahram Nazeri sang a vocalized version of some of Rumi’s poetry.
(...)

[Picture: Left Bahaeddin Khorramshahi; Center Shahram Nazeri; Right Mohammad-Ali Eslami Nadushan. Photo: ISNA/Amir Kholusi].

A Picture of Us

TTCulture Desk, "Copy of oldest Hafez manuscripts unveiled in Tehran" - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A copy of the oldest Hafez poetry manuscripts discovered at the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford was unveiled Monday in a ceremony held at the Niavaran Cultural Center.

Several cultural figures including vocalist Shahram Nazeri, musicians Farhad Fakhreddini and Homayun Khorram, calligrapher Mohammad Ehsaii and painter Aidin Aghdashlu attended the ceremony.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the message from Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, Iran’s chairman of the Center for Dialogue between Civilizations and Cultures.

The priceless treasure was discovered by Iranian scholar Ali Ferdowsi. The collection is published by Dibayeh Publications and contains 49 ghazals and a single couplet along with a comparative study by scholar Ali Ferdowsi.

Scholar Hassan Anvari made the first speech about the ghazals in the recent discovered copy and stated, “The poetry by Hafez was distorted even during his lifetime, so even the oldest manuscript can not simply mean that it is a correct version of the original.” “So we must wait for opinions of other experts and scholars about the characteristics of the book,” he remarked.

The ceremony was followed by a short music video containing the explanation by Ferdowsi on the discovery of the manuscripts. Ferdowsi is Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at the Notre Dame de Namur University, California.

Head of Dibayeh Publications Shahrdad Mirzaii was next and spoke about the importance of the manuscript and said, “When the small pieces of culture of this land are found one by one, they portray a picture of us and our identity; a picture of what we were and what we can be.”

Afterwards, the book was unveiled in a ceremony accompanied by a group of artists.

The original manuscript was inscribed by a contemporary named Ala Marandi during the years 1388 and 1389. All the ghazals (probably except five) were penned during the time Hafez was alive.

Vocalist Shahram Nazeri, also among the participants, was called to the stage to perform a song of Hafez ghazals, but he said he was not prepared, “If we are supposed to do something for Hafez, it must be appropriate for him.”

He decided to recite a single ghazal by Hafez that was warmly received by the audience.

Photo: A theater troupe unveils the copy of the oldest Hafez poetry manuscripts, which has been discovered at the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford, during a play directed by Mohammad Hatami at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on January 26, 2009. (Mehr/Ra’uf Mohseni).

“The Molana Symphonic Composition”

TT Culture Desk - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Iranian musician Hushang Kamkar has recently completed “The Molana Symphonic Composition”, a piece commemorating Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.

A recording of the new work is to be issued by the IRIB Music Center. “The idea for creating the piece goes back a few years,” Kamkar said during a press conference in Tehran on December 10.

“I wanted to compose a piece worthy of the dignity and the grandeur of Rumi,” he added.

However, Kamkar only began composing the symphony about five months ago, after rejecting a proposal by the IRIB Music Center to write a piece in honor of Rumi.

“I refused to accept the request because I can not do any work based on an assignment in a limited time, but I then composed the piece based on my own interest and I have delivered it to the center to be released,” Kamkar explained.

“After consultations with some experts on Rumi, I decided to create a work that can also be presented to the world. Rumi’s mysticism and love have been considered in every melody of the work.”

A poem of Rumi sung by young Iranian music phenom Alireza Qorbani inspired Kamkar to compose the piece, although veteran vocalist Shahram Nazeri is more famous for his performances of Rumi’s poetry.

“I planned to perform the symphony accompanied by Shahram Nazeri, but I saw that he was very busy with his other performances and various programs abroad… Thus I enlisted the skills of Alireza Qorbani for the symphony, and I am very pleased with my choice,” Kamkar noted.

A performance of “The Molana Symphonic Composition” is scheduled to be broadcast on TV and radio stations by IRIB, which also plans to make a music video version of the show.

Spirituality and Sufism

By Jamal Marfaoui, "Tunisia lights up Ramadan nights with international music festival" - Magharebia - Rockville, MD, USA -Thursday, September 4, 2008

Music diversity and international performances will be centre stage at Tunisia's Mûsîqât Festival. Organisers hope the 2-week event [from the 6th to the 20th September] during the holy month of Ramadan will give music fans a venue for entertainment and relaxation after long days of fasting.

Focusing on spirituality and Sufism to honor the month of Ramadan, the opening show Manarat will feature Tunisian traditional Sufi music performed by famous Tunisian singer Lotfi Bushnaq.

For the first time, the festival will feature Afghani traditional music. Although the Afghani band is fairly new, they've earned a world-wide reputation playing music of Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik, Hazarah and Paluch traditions in France, Italy, Greece, France and the United States.

The finale of the event will be courtesy of Iranian singer Shahram Nazeri, a key figure in traditional Iranian music and an icon of the modernisation trend in Persian musical traditions.

Organisers said they will encourage students to attend and enjoy the performances by offering them a 50% discount on festival tickets. The regular price is 10 dinars. [USD 8.05; EUR 5.65].

A treasure-house of Sufi and folk poetry: Dr. Madan Gopal Singh in concert

ENS - Cities Express India - Ludhiana, India
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Sufiana concert of internationally acclaimed Sufi scholar and artist Dr. Madan Gopal Singh will be held at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan [Ludhiana, India] on Friday, April 13.

The concert organised by Media Artists is an endeavour to reinforce the Sufi message of tolerance, reason and access to knowledge through love.

“It is a celebration of Sufi love and wisdom through music, that can bring together people confronting each other in an atmosphere of hatred and violence,” said poet Surjit Patar, the patron of ‘Media Artists’.

A well-known name in the world of cinema, art and cultural history, Madan Gopal Singh is a multifaceted personality. Madan Gopal Singh, who teaches English in Delhi University, is a treasure-house of Sufi and folk poetry, best known for his rendition of Punjabi Sufi texts and love legends.

He has translated a wide range of Sufi lyrics and poems into Punjabi, Hindustani and English. He has toured extensively and has had the distinction of singing with the well-known Kurdish singer Shahram Nazeri; and has performed with Theo Bleckmann, percussionist David Cossin and double-bass player Gregg August.

Heart Of Islam

By Hind Al Subai Al Idrissi, *Festival of coexistence and peace in Fez* - Middle East Online - London, UK
Thursday, July 1, 2010

Moroccan festival provides visitors with place to meet and discuss music, poetry, Sufism.

Rabat: Fez, the intellectual capital of Morocco, hosted a significant spiritual music festival from 4 to 12 June, based on a message of coexistence, peace and purity of soul.

According to its website, the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music “represents the spiritual heart of Islam – peaceful, pluralistic, generous and cheerful. It honours all the world’s spiritual traditions and it dissolves musical boundaries.”

The festival provides people with a place to meet and discuss music, poetry and Sufism at well-known historic locations throughout the city — as well as listen to amazing music.

Some of today’s most popular spiritual and religious music groups from around the world came together in Fez for the festival’s 16th annual celebration. Performances by musicians of different religions and nationalities accentuated the potential for openness and dialogue between people.

The Fez Festival was begun by the Moroccan anthropologist Faouzi Skali in the aftermath of the first Gulf War to help people from different spiritual traditions learn from each other without prejudice. Today, it is considered one of the most significant festivals aimed at instilling peace, security and dialogue between civilisations, according to the United Nations. It is organised primarily by the Message of Fez, an organisation which provides the festival with financial and material support.

This year’s theme was “Perfection in Purging the Soul”, coined by Ibn Arabi, a 13th century Arab philosopher. According to organisers, Ibn Arabi’s work represents the will to rid oneself from rigid, exclusive dogmatic beliefs and instead instil the principles of tolerance and mutual respect among civilisations, which the festival aims to do through music.

This spirit of coexistence is evident, with the musical traditions of different religious communities and nationalities highlighted throughout. This year, the festival celebrated Jerusalem as the city of three faiths. The audience listened to a live music performance, "Jerusalem, the City of Two Peaces: Heavenly Peace and Peace on Earth", which presented the history of this diverse city through music played by Spanish, Iraqi, Armenian, Moroccan and Greek musicians, highlighting different musical genres to showcase different eras of the city’s history.

The audience enjoyed a mixture of musical rhythms and compositions inspired by religion, the poetry of wisdom, African religious songs and religious folk music from Anatolia, Cambodia, Asia and America, as well as spiritual performances by major musicians, such as Jordi Savall, a Spanish Catalan viol player, composer and conductor, who presented the audience with a musical composition particular to the former Jewish community in Baghdad.

Festival-goers were also treated to Persian classical music by icon Shahram Nazeri, a contemporary Iranian Kurdish tenor. In addition, the festival featured Sufi music from Zanzibar and Christian gospel music by US African Americans, as well as a classical acrobatic troupe of boys, the “Young Gotipuas Dancers”, from the Hindu temples of Orissa in eastern India.

Several Moroccan Sufi musical groups also performed at the festival, including Gnawa Click, a very popular Gnawa band from Essaouira in southern Morocco.

Gnawa is a musical genre from North Africa, particularly Morocco, and is a unique mix of sub-Saharan African, Berber and Arabic religious songs and rhythms, played with various drums and flutes.

There were also other Sufi musical groups that performed, inspired by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, a Sufi imam in 12th century Baghdad who taught his followers to lead spiritual lives and promote goodness in their communities.

The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music has become part of the core identity for Fez, always considered by intellectuals, poets, writers and musicians as a major cultural capital of the world. And the festival has helped shape Morocco’s image as a country that not only supports but actively encourages friendship and coexistence between people of all backgrounds and spiritual beliefs.

Hind Al-Subai Al-Idrisi is a Moroccan blogger (hindapress.canalblog.com) and journalist who participated in a Rabat-based workshop for bloggers organised by the international conflict transformation organisation Search for Common Ground. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).