TEHRAN, Oct. 29
(Mehr News Agency) -- Iranian musician and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian regarded the guidance
provided by German composer Carl Orff in the composition of his opera "Rustam
and Sohrab" as a great experience.
In an interview with the Mehr News Agency he
explained about his years of study in Vienna, his experiences, and his meetings
with Orff there, saying, "I graduated from the Vienna Academy of Music with
honors in 1961. Right after I finished my studies, an Austrian publisher
published five volumes of my compositions which were later performed by young
conductors there."
Iranian composer and conductor Loris
Tjeknavorian holds the Austrian gold medal of merit after an interview with the
Mehr News Agency on October 27. He received the medal during a ceremony held at
the Austrian Embassy in Tehran on October 23. (Mehr/Majid Asgaripur)
He referred to his meetings with "Carmina Burana"
composer Orff and said, "Two years later I returned to Vienna and met Orff. I
showed him my first draft of 'Rustam and Sohrab' and asked for his opinion. He
was a knowledgeable musician who was well acquainted with the culture of the
orient. When I told him it is an opera based on a masterpiece by Ferdowsi, he
became extremely happy and I found out that he knew Ferdowsi and Persian
literature as well.
"He asked me to show him the piece and gave me
invaluable advice. When I was asked about the time of performance, I told him I
would like to revise it again, since I believed it did not possess the authentic
Persian identity in those days."
He went on to say, "Carl Orff asked me to stay in
Salzburg, where he was staying at the time, and complete the opera. But that was
not possible for me, since it was a very expensive city and I could not afford
the high cost of living there. Orff later asked me to visit him in his school
and told me not to worry about the expenses. I was granted a scholarship and was
able to stay one more year to accomplish my work. Afterwards, I gave several
performances of the opera in Austria and then traveled to the United States to
study conducting," he explained.
Tjeknavorian later remarked that today, the world is
moving towards simplicity, and with the availability of high technology, an
orchestra musician can perform and also conduct the orchestra. This eliminates
the need for orchestras to have conductors in order to perform famous works by
world-class musicians.
"The social situation has changed and now the youth
are after simple things. They have not learned to listen to classical music in
their childhood or even at schools. Classical pieces are like classic literature
and not many people have the time to read and comprehend literature. I believe
if the public sector or other sponsors do not take action, we will not perform
any of these kinds of works in the near future."
Tjeknavorian has composed the music for the puppet
show "Rustam and Sohrab" directed by Behruz Gharibpur which was highly acclaimed
by Iranian and foreign viewers.
Tjeknavorian also received Austria's gold medal of
merit in a ceremony held at the Austrian embassy in Tehran last week.
