Two Choirs, 160 Vocalists in Joint Concert for Fajr Music Event
Iran Philharmonic Choir and Naamira Choir will perform a joint concert at the 32nd edition of the Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran, January 11-20
Two Iranian ensembles, the Iran Philharmonic Choir and Naamira Choir, will perform a joint concert at the 32nd edition of the Fajr International Music Festival, Iran’s most prestigious music event to be held in Tehran January 11-20, 2017.
The joint project titled ‘Sacred Earth’ was proposed to composer Alireza Shafaqinejad, who heads the Iran Philharmonic Choir, by composer, arranger, pianist and vocalist Farhad Harati, the conductor of Naamira Choir.
“Our friendship with Harati goes back a long way,” Shafaqinejad, 42, told Mehr News Agency. “We’ve been familiar with each other’s works and wanted to have a joint performance. When I examined his musical piece ‘Sacred Earth’, I found it to be of extraordinary quality.”
Harati’s compositions refer to issues such as war, migration, animal extinction, global warming, pollution and deadly diseases such as HIV. “I listened to it again after attending a live performance and felt we could present a good performance together at the Fajr music event. I will conduct parts of the joint orchestra, and Harati, who has composed the piece, will perform as vocalist.”
Harati is an accomplished composer in fusion music and Shafaqinejad is mainly known as a classicist musician. “The concert will be performed in a non-classical ambiance with 160 vocalists,” said Shafaqinejad.
Harati, 46, spoke about other aspects of the joint project: “Until recently, many saw me and Shafaqinejad as two rivals. Far from it; our work leaves no room for rivalry. Both the choirs have worked diligently to reach where they are today in the country’s music scene.”
Laudable Performances
Naamira Choir was founded in 1996 by Honar Rasam institute of Higher Education, affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. The choir staged its first professional show in 1998. ‘Utopia’ and ‘A Time to Live’ are among its laudable performances. The group has also released three albums ‘Gray Lone’, ‘The Pacific Sun’ and ‘Zero Limitation’ so far.
Iran Philharmonic Choir founded in 2000 by Shafaqinejad has performed many classical and Iranian folk and traditional pieces. The choir has been conducted by other acclaimed conductors such as Ali (Alexander) Rahbari, 67, Loris Cheknavorian, 78, and Nasser Nazar, 54, besides Shafaqinejad.
“The presence of Shafaqinejad in the joint project opens a new chapter in the activities of Naamira Choir,” Harati said.
“We have had over three rehearsal sessions so far. I’m so happy to see the members of both choirs working together. We want to present an environmental program in cooperation with over 160 vocalists,” he added.