The response of the fired musicians to the interview of the managing director of Rudaki Foundation

Following an interview by Mehdi Salem, the director of the Rudaki Foundation, with the “Our Music” website, a response from the fired musicians was published in response to this conversation, which you read:
The National Symphonic Orchestra is not a place to discover talent Mr. Mehdi Salem, greetings and respect Since a few days ago, an interview with you was published by the “Our Music” website, some issues were discussed that surprised the experts and other readers and the reader’s mind goes to this side that your advisers deliberately or inadvertently knowingly or unknowingly have a wrong and misleading purpose. Therefore, we decided to accompany you as experts in this profession and art and those who have studied music in high school and university for nearly 20 years and have been present in the highest artistic degree of the country, namely the symphony orchestra, and convey some issues to your esteemed opinion: 1- In none of the orchestras around the world, salaries are paid based on position and seat, but based on the years of presence of that musician and experience in the orchestra. This is a misconception that the seat of musicians is like paying for a ticket seat and position of the audience. The musicians’ protest was based on the wrong principle of this issue. 2- Regarding the selection of musicians by the orchestra leader, it should be noted that any leader, especially the invited leader, cannot select an orchestra musician because the musicians are fixed orchestra hosts and guest leaders and incidentally this issue is reversed and this orchestra leader is first as a guest leader in one concert will be present and by the musicians and then according to the satisfaction of the audience will be selected for example selection of leader by musicians of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is an example in this case.

Another issue that is worth mentioning is the examination of the orchestra in the whole world, in no orchestra in the world does the main body of the orchestra change since each city in each country has several orchestras of parliament, symphony philharmonic, ballet and opera One musician from one orchestra to another orchestra based on taste or better income changes location and does not lose his job.

Also, musicians retire after 30 years of being in the orchestra, so the orchestra directors publish a call for only one or more specific positions and vacant posts in the orchestra.
Expressing the issue that the Rudaki Foundation seeks to discover
talent; In the mind of the audience, reminiscent of talent show programs, but the symphony orchestra of the countries is not a place to discover talent, but every musician must go through the difficult way of studying this art and grow from the conservatory and music conservatory under the supervision of caring and professional teachers, continue his studies at the university and then, with a single exam in front of a jury made up of the musicians of the same orchestra, get into the orchestra and enter the professional world alongside other experienced musicians.
Pay attention to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which is one of the most professional orchestras in the world. In a country like Germany with a population of 84 million or America with a population of 340 million people, are there no other talents that can find their way to the mentioned orchestras?

They definitely have, but the directors know that the essence of an orchestra is that the musicians playing together and the experience of playing an orchestra and ensemble and harmony between the musicians, and the main body of the orchestra has a special value.

6- Since you mentioned receiving the musicians’ salaries during the Covid era, we must inform you that, as you know, the basis of musicians’ salaries is not based on the salaries of an expert in a profession and field; Rather, it is the lowest base salary and based on labor rights, and it should be noted that in 2014, the Rudaki Foundation did not pay the salaries and insurance of the musicians in full, and this year was not counted as part of their work records. What is the orchestra like in Germany? The interview of the main orchestra player and tympanist of one of the most professional orchestras in Germany (Gwandhaus Leipzig Orchestra) explains the correct method and the rule of the orchestra that is common in the world. You know that after 6 months of trying to improve the current situation, unfortunately, we faced the narrow-mindedness of the orchestra’s management, and contrary to the respected opinion of the Rudaki Foundation, none of them were looking for blackmail, but only sympathetic and concerned about the plight of the situation. We are the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.

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Nasser Masoudi: The Voice of Gilan and a Legacy of Iranian Music

In Iranian music, certain singers have become emblematic of their homelands through their distinctive voices. Historical figures such as Eghbal Sultan, who epitomized the grandeur of Azerbaijani music, and Taj Isfahani, who conveyed the authentic essence of Isfahan, serve as notable examples from the Qajar era. Nasser Masoudi occupies a similar position; his voice emerged as a symbol of Gilan while also achieving national acclaim. Before him, Master Ahmad Ashurpur represented Gilan’s musical landscape, but his extended residence outside Iran limited his continuous engagement in the music scene. In contrast, Masoudi’s consistent presence allowed him to introduce the voice of Gilan to audiences across Iran.

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

From Past Days…

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (III)

“Our ancestors believe powerful blows upon the Daf scatters evil spirits of disease and distress to create a clean and holy space filled with health and prosperity. Adding tools to Daf increases this instrument’s purification, spreading, and summoning powers of evil forces and goddesses. Daf was mostly depicted by red, color of blood, in ancient times or sometimes it was depicted with green, the color of plants and nature. There were probably some mysterious designs painted upon the wooden body and frames of these instruments just like today” (Pahlavan, 2013: 44).

Davoud Pirnia (1900 - 1971)

About Davoud Pirnia, the founder of “Golha” radio program

Davoud Pirnia, writer and musicologist was the founder of “Golha” (Flowers of Persian Song and Music) programs on Tehran Radio (1956-1966). He received his early education from his father, Hassan Pirnia (Moshir al-Douleh), and several tutors of the time (Taraghi, interview, July 1989) and continued his studies at Saint Louis School in Tehran and then in Switzerland and graduated in law. While studying law, Pirnia got acquainted with European classical music. Upon returning to Iran, he was employed by the Ministry of Justice and founded the Lawyers’ Guild. Then he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and established the Department of Statistics in this ministry. Later, he became the head of the state inspection office at the Prime Ministry; he was, then, promoted to the position of the Deputy Prime Minister (Navab Safa, interview, August 1999)

Interview with the Makers of the New Qeychak (III)

In this project, my specialized responsibility  was the basic drawings of the desired instrument with the help of engineering and mechanical software.  I have also the carried out phases related to engineering designs, related variables, and volume and weight calculations under Mr. Ziaei’s direct supervision from the very beginning. Regarding the challenges of this work, suffice it to say that the set of designs for the instrument lasted more than 9 months in the final stage of the project only.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (I)

Today, percussion instruments have such a high place in music that are an essential element of orchestras. This has attracted many people to this type of instrument with roots as old as the first humans. A historical study of music, shows that humans used the sound of these instruments to defend themselves against wild animals and, over time, for alerting each other, signaling their readiness and encouraging people for war, ritual ceremonies, dances, etc. in a manner that is still clearly visible in music and some ritual ceremonies.

Last Year under the Light of Music

Almost three months into the new Iranian year (starting March 21), it is still not too late to have a look at the last year and the challenges that the musicians faced. The following article was published on the first day of the New Year in the Persian edition of the HarmonyTalk journal.

Women and the Music Environment in Iran

The life territory of the female-male relations in the Iranian cultural context is basically a domestic territory and not a social-living one in the labour and leisure domains. To prove this, it only suffices to consider the Iranian men’s viewpoints about women. For the Iranian men, there are three perspectives regarding the women: mother, sister and wife. Mother represents the emotional territory; sister represents the logical territory at home while wife represents the sexual territory.

Developments in Iranian Music Since Qajar Era (I)

At the end of the Qajar era and as Iran entered the power transition period, known as the constitutional era, the Iranian music went through a lot of changes. These changes gained momentum as the students and followers of Ali Naqi Vaziri’s entered the musical scene. These changes greatly influenced designs of instruments, playing methods, singing, composing, etc.

Iannis Xenakis’ Persephassa

Shiraz Arts Festival which was held in Shiraz from 1967 to 1977 featured many contemporary renowned artists who were commissioned by the Iranian royalty to compose or create works of art for performance in the arts festival. Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) participated in Shiraz Arts Festival three times in 1968, 1969 and 1971. The Greek-French composer,…
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Principles of Violin Playing (IX)

4.3.1. To practice playing of doubles of notes involving two different fingers, each note is played at separate bows with slow tempo, each note is played perfectly regarding its bass and tenor sounds and then the considered double is played at another bow while considering the resulted sound of the double.

Rare documents of Tehran Opera Company published in Europe

The year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of Evlin Baghcheban’s death. She played a crucial role to promote opera and choral music in Persia (Iran). Born to an Assyrian-French family in Turkey, she studied singing and piano at the Ankara State Conservatory. In 1950 Evlin married the Persian composer and fellow student Samin Baghcheban and moved to Tehran.