Alireza Mashayekhi

Alireza Mashayekhi
Alireza Mashayekhi at the 30th Fajr International Music Festival, 19 February 2015
Background information
Born	1940 Tehran
Genres	Persian symphonic music
Occupation(s)	Musician, conductor, composer

Alireza Mashayekhi (born 1940) is a notable Iranian musician, composer and conductor. He is one of the first Iranian composers who has pioneered Persian Symphonic Music.

Early life

He was born in Tehran in 1940. His first teachers were Lotfollah Mofakham Payan (Iranian music), Hossein Nasehi (composition) and Ophelia Kombajian (piano). He then pursued his passion for music in Vienna. His teachers in Vienna include Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske.

After completing his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, he went to Utrecht, the Netherlands, to pursue his study of electronic and computer music, which included attending lectures by Gottfried Michael Koenig.^[1]

Career

Alireza Mashayekhi at the 30th Fajr International Music Festival

In 1993, with cooperation of the pianist Farima Ghavam-Sadri, Mashayekhi founded Tehran Contemporary Music Group. He also established the Iranian Orchestra for New Music, in 1995.^[2] This orchestra alongside many concerts in Tehran, produced its first CD in 2002, which was released by Hermes Records.

In 2007, Sub Rosa (label) released a double-disc anthology titled Persian Electronic Music: Yesterday and Today 1966–2006, which included classic compositions of Mashayekhi’s work along with Ata Ebtekar. In 2009, Brandon Nickell’s Isounderscore label released the vinyl double LP Ata Ebtekar & The Iranian Orchestra for New Music Performing Works of Alireza Mashayekhi “Ornamental”. Mashayekhi granted Ebtekar full creative freedom to work with the Iranian Orchestra for New Music to arrange and transform Mashayekhi’s compositions.

Works

Albums

• Mahoor Institute of Culture and Art, CD-145
  • Symphony No. 2 “Tehran”, op. 57
    Tehran Symphony Orchestra, Farhad Meshkat cond., live at Vahdat Hall, Tehran, Mar. 1977
  • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 96
    Tehran Symphony, Edo Mičič cond., Maziar Zahiroddini violin, live at Vahdat Hall, Tehran, Oct. 1998
  • “Nous ne verrons jamais les jardins de Nishapour”, op. 56
    NIRT Chamber Orchestra, Ivo Malec cond., Pari Barkeshli pianos, live at City Theatre Tehran, Tehran, Apr. 1978
• Shahrzad: Nine Movements for Piano, Op. 115
  • Piano by Farimah Ghavamsadri^[3]
• An Old Fashioned Symphony for Computer (Symphony No. 3), Op. 76^[4]
• Symphony No. 4 (Zagros), Op. 103
  • National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, conducted by Vladimir Sirenko^[5]
• Symphony No. 5 (Persian), Op. 112
  • National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, conducted by Vladimir Sirenko^[6]

• Music for Piano
  • Piano: Farimah Ghavamsadri^[7]
• Happy Electronic Sounds^[8]

• Ravi-Azar-Kimia music Institute
  • White Cactus

Books

• Modal Counterpoint
• Tonal Counterpoint: Bach Composition
• Harmony: Classical Composition
• All Those Years without Memory

Notes

1. See Bob Gluck, “A New East-West Synthesis: Conversations with Iranian Composer Alireza Mashayekhi.”
2. Ibid.
3. Shahrzad (CD). Tehran: Tehran University. 2004.
4. Symphony No. 3 (CD). Tehran: Hermes Records. 2007.
5. Symphony No. 4 (CD). Tehran: Music Center of Hozeh Honari. 2007.
6. Symphony No. 5 (CD). Tehran: Music Center of Hozeh Honari. 2009.
7. Music for Piano (CD). Tehran: Hermes Records. 2004.
8. Happy Electronic Sounds (CD). Tehran: Musical Center of Hozeyeh Honari. 2005.

References

• Gluck, Bob. “A New East-West Synthesis: Conversations with Iranian Composer Alireza Mashayekhi.” eContact! 14.4 — TES 2011: Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium / Symposium électroacoustique de Toronto (March 2013). Montréal: CEC.