Acclaimed Iranian violinist Farid Farjad visited Turkey for two concerts on the weekend at Istanbul Kültür University’s new auditorium and was accompanied by Moscow Conservatory student Armen Aharonian. Farjad, who fled Iran in advance of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, remains homesick for his country but says Turkey resembles his homeland in many ways
 Violinist Farid Farjad fled to the U.S. one year before the Iranian Revolution to pursue his music career. Photo courtesy of Saeed NASIRI |
Acclaimed Iranian violinist Farid Farjad enchanted Istanbul audiences Friday and Saturday nights with music from the homeland he has been unable to visit for 33 years.
Farjad was accompanied by Moscow Conservatory student Armen Aharonian for the concerts that inaugurated Istanbul Kültür University’s new Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center.
In addition to haunting renditions of Iranian folk music, Farjad also provided reinterpretations of songs such as “Moscow Nights” and “Volka,” while Aharonian provided his own eight-minute solo piece for the packed crowd.
Noted for his performances of Iranian folk music that are fuelled by the melancholy of being unable to enter his native land, Farjad also goes by the name of “the man with the crying violin.” On stage and in person, however, Farjad exudes energy and his charming personality manifests little of the melancholy which he evokes through his music.
Drawing inspiration from his mother who was also a violinist, Farjad obtained a master’s degree in classical music at the Tehran Music Conservatory in 1966 and then went on to play with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra for several years before fleeing from Iran to the United States, one year before the Iranian Revolution.
An education begun before birth
When asked who had inspired him throughout his musical career, Farjad referred to the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and his own mother. Describing how his mother had often played him the violin as a child, Farjad commented on his innate connection with the instrument, saying it was “something that he had felt with his heart.”
“My mother would play the violin to me as a child and I'm sure I heard her playing when I was in her womb and that I had already begun my musical education before I came into this world. If she had played the piano or any other instrument, perhaps I would have been playing that instrument in place of the violin,” he said.
Flight to the US
Farjad won the first violin seat at the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and was subsequently appointed to serve tenure at the conservatory to teach classical violin. Nonetheless, sensing the approach of a political regime that was to quash artistic liberties, Farjad fled to the U.S. one year before the Iranian Revolution in order to pursue his musical career.
“I left one year before the revolution so I didn’t experience the fear that most people in Iran felt at the time, but I felt the shadow of that sentiment,” he said.
Farjad spoke critically of the Iranian regime which prohibited artistic freedom and only broadcast music accepted by religious priests and leaders.
“The state broadcasts this music so it reaches people's homes but it cannot penetrate into their hearts,” he said.
Emphasizing that he was against the Iranian state, Farjad said it was impossible to lead a peaceful life when one was involved in art.
“I was against that regime. If I had led a peaceful life and stayed in Iran, I wouldn't have played music like this – for in art it is not possible to lead a peaceful life. I only want to have the right and freedom to say what I want. I miss my country a lot but I know I can’t go back there,” Farjad said.
For Farjad, a new life in the U.S. provided him with the opportunity to pursue his musical career without the fear of persecution. Nonetheless, the violinist said he had missed and yearned greatly for his homeland when he first stepped foot in the U.S.
Home away from home
While Farjad said he had traveled to many European countries during his concert tours, he said he immediately felt at home in Turkey when he first visited the country six years ago.
“I was influenced by the kindness of the Turkish people and the affection that they showed me. Turkey is also culturally and geographically close to Iran. When I am here I feel close to my country – it almost feels like I am there. The style of our music is also similar. This means my music is able to touch the hearts of people in this area of the world,” he said.
Noting that humankind was living in an increasingly complicated world, Farjad said that in the pursuit of his musical career, he had simply done what he wanted to do and was content with being able to bring enjoyment to people of all ages.
“I feel tied to the audience when I play. Every note reaches out and connects with them. The most important thing in music is to feel, for music without feeling is nothing,” he said.
Farjad was accompanied by Moscow Conservatory student Armen Aharonian for the concerts that inaugurated Istanbul Kültür University’s new Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center.
In addition to haunting renditions of Iranian folk music, Farjad also provided reinterpretations of songs such as “Moscow Nights” and “Volka,” while Aharonian provided his own eight-minute solo piece for the packed crowd.
Noted for his performances of Iranian folk music that are fuelled by the melancholy of being unable to enter his native land, Farjad also goes by the name of “the man with the crying violin.” On stage and in person, however, Farjad exudes energy and his charming personality manifests little of the melancholy which he evokes through his music.
Drawing inspiration from his mother who was also a violinist, Farjad obtained a master’s degree in classical music at the Tehran Music Conservatory in 1966 and then went on to play with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra for several years before fleeing from Iran to the United States, one year before the Iranian Revolution.
An education begun before birth
When asked who had inspired him throughout his musical career, Farjad referred to the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and his own mother. Describing how his mother had often played him the violin as a child, Farjad commented on his innate connection with the instrument, saying it was “something that he had felt with his heart.”
“My mother would play the violin to me as a child and I'm sure I heard her playing when I was in her womb and that I had already begun my musical education before I came into this world. If she had played the piano or any other instrument, perhaps I would have been playing that instrument in place of the violin,” he said.
Flight to the US
Farjad won the first violin seat at the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and was subsequently appointed to serve tenure at the conservatory to teach classical violin. Nonetheless, sensing the approach of a political regime that was to quash artistic liberties, Farjad fled to the U.S. one year before the Iranian Revolution in order to pursue his musical career.
“I left one year before the revolution so I didn’t experience the fear that most people in Iran felt at the time, but I felt the shadow of that sentiment,” he said.
Farjad spoke critically of the Iranian regime which prohibited artistic freedom and only broadcast music accepted by religious priests and leaders.
“The state broadcasts this music so it reaches people's homes but it cannot penetrate into their hearts,” he said.
Emphasizing that he was against the Iranian state, Farjad said it was impossible to lead a peaceful life when one was involved in art.
“I was against that regime. If I had led a peaceful life and stayed in Iran, I wouldn't have played music like this – for in art it is not possible to lead a peaceful life. I only want to have the right and freedom to say what I want. I miss my country a lot but I know I can’t go back there,” Farjad said.
For Farjad, a new life in the U.S. provided him with the opportunity to pursue his musical career without the fear of persecution. Nonetheless, the violinist said he had missed and yearned greatly for his homeland when he first stepped foot in the U.S.
Home away from home
While Farjad said he had traveled to many European countries during his concert tours, he said he immediately felt at home in Turkey when he first visited the country six years ago.
“I was influenced by the kindness of the Turkish people and the affection that they showed me. Turkey is also culturally and geographically close to Iran. When I am here I feel close to my country – it almost feels like I am there. The style of our music is also similar. This means my music is able to touch the hearts of people in this area of the world,” he said.
Noting that humankind was living in an increasingly complicated world, Farjad said that in the pursuit of his musical career, he had simply done what he wanted to do and was content with being able to bring enjoyment to people of all ages.
“I feel tied to the audience when I play. Every note reaches out and connects with them. The most important thing in music is to feel, for music without feeling is nothing,” he said.
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