TEHRAN- “Pirouz and Parizad” opera by Iranian composer and tar virtuoso Ali Ghamsari will be back to Tehran’s Vahdat Hall in September after its successful performance in May and June, which was welcomed by the audience.

It is the first fully poetic Iranian opera, created through the collaboration of the composer and poet Ehsan Afshari within the same time frame. This work is neither an adaptation of classical Persian literature nor a translation of Western operas, IRNA reported.

Staged with a grand design, it features a completely live musical performance without any pre-recorded sounds.

In the opera, aside from Ali Ghamsari, no other famous artist is involved. Despite this, the initial performances attracted a large audience and received top ratings from viewers on some survey websites.

The second round of “Pirouz and Parizad” performances will be staged on September 5 and 6 at Vahdat Hall, located on Shahryar Blvd, Hafez Street, south of Enqelab Avenue. 

A tar, setar, divan player, and composer, Ghamsari, 40, began his music education at the Iranian Conservatory of Music and continued his studies in music at the Faculty of Fine Arts, the University of Tehran. He is a Professor of Persian Music Theory at the University of Tehran.

Ghamsari founded the band Sarmad at the age of 18. Afterwards, he established the Hamnavazan-e Hesar Ensemble and the Iranian String Quartet. At the age of 22, he gained fame by composing the album Naghsh-e Khiyal with Homayoun Shajarian. Since then, he has composed over 15 albums, collaborating with several traditional singers such as Alireza Ghorbani, Mohammad Motamedi, and Vahid Taj.

He has performed in many countries, including France, Morocco, Spain, the U.S., the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Russia, and Canada, 

SS/SAB