TEHRAN – Seventy-year old maestro Majid Entezami who has composed music for over 80 movies was honored for his lifetime achievements by the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization on Tuesday.

A large number of musicians, cineastes and cultural figures attended the honoring ceremony held at the Andisheh Hall of the bureau in Tehran, delivering speeches about Entezami who is the son of veteran actor Ezzatollah Entezami.

The honoring ceremony was an emotional experience for Entezami when he thanked his wife, Azarnush Sadr-Salek, who is also a prominent harpist and pianist.

“I express my thanks to someone who has been beside me over all these years,” Entezami said.

He also expressed regret over the death of some recently-deceased musicians and said, “We lose many of our artists and easily ignore the issue; we have not realized the value of music yet.”
   
In his brief speech, musician Mohammad Sarir praised Entezami for his efforts to create a professional character that is independent of his father’s place in cinema.

Composer Hushang Kamkar said that he has been familiar with Entezami since his youth when he was collaborating with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra as an oboist. He called him one of the best oboists the orchestra has ever had. 

Filmmaker Reza Mirkarimi talked about his wish to collaborate with Entezami in a project and said, “I feel nostalgia for your pieces and I hope you let me work together in the future.”

The ceremony then went on with performances by singer Hamid Hami who sang “The Devotion Symphony” and “The Song of Rain”, both composed by Entezami.

The meeting came to an end by screening “The Oboist”, a documentary directed by Amin Sadeq-Mohammadi about Entezami who composed music for many acclaimed movies such as “The Journey of the Stone” directed by Masud Kimiai, “The Glass Agency” by Ebrahim Hatamikia, and “The Fateful Day” by Shahram Asadi.

Photo: Majid Entezami speaks during a ceremony held by the Art Bureau in Tehran on August 15, 2017 to honor the composer for his lifetime achievements. His wife, Azarnush Sadr-Salek, is also seen beside him. (IRNA/Fatemeh Behbudi)

MMS