“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.