Iranian Academy of Arts pays tribute to musician Alireza Mashayekhi
Tehran Times Art Desk

TEHRAN -- The Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA) paid tribute to veteran musician Alireza Mashayekhi for his lifetime achievements during a ceremony held on Tuesday.

The ceremony, arranged by Naqsh-e Jahan Center affiliated with the IAA, began with music composed by Mashayekhi, the fourth movement of Iran’s symphony. Mashayekhi later talked about his mission, the Persian service of ISNA reported.

“People of Iran have gone into a deep slumber about music and have yet to awaken, and I have tried to awaken them. And if I compose any music, it is my only aim to do so,” he remarked.

“I am not even grateful to my ancestors for their musical accomplishments, since they did not compose music in the manner of Bach or Mozart so that we could perform it today. Our great masters of music were only entertaining the kings of the Qajar dynasty,” he noted.

Civilization without music has no meaning and it can not be defined without the music by Beethoven, he stated.

He continued his speech on modern music and said, “The music my students and I follow is an international language that can enable us to speak with others throughout the world.

“We must also learn to tolerate one another and not insist that everyone should listen exclusively to Bach or Iranian traditional music. We have to develop along these lines academically,” Mashayekhi added.

He continued saying, “Music is something without borders. When I was conducting research on composing (Beethoven’s) Symphony number 9, I was surprised when I discovered the relationship between the music of Japan and Africa. Truly, we are multi-cultural creatures.”

He also opined, “I disagree with the phrase ‘committed art,’ but I agree with the phrase ‘committed artist.’ I am sure that art will find its own way someday.”

The ceremony continued with a short speech by director of Naqsh-e Jahan Center Sajjad Mohammadyarzadeh who wished a prosperous life for Mashayekhi on his 70th birthday.

Following a live music performance, the ceremony ended with presenting Mashayekhi the IAA plaque of honor signed by IAA secretary Bahman Namvar-Motlaq.

Photo: Alireza Mashayekhi delivers a speech during a ceremony held by the Iranian Academy of Arts at the Naqsh-e Jahan Center in Tehran on March 9, 2010 to pay tribute to the veteran musician. (ISNA/Saman Aqvami)

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