Tehran Stages Classical, Video Game and British Music Programs
TEHRAN -- A series of concerts and music events in Tehran will bring together classical repertoire, video game soundtracks, Iranian and popular music, and an analytical look at the work of British composer Sir William Walton.
The Rhetoric Orchestra, conducted by Reza Maryvand, will perform at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on August 24 at 9:30 p.m., presenting works by some of the major figures of the classical repertoire.
The program includes Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 and Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto No. 11, alongside works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Brahms, Saint-Saëns and Astor Piazzolla.
Concertmaster Farbod Latifi, oboist Salman Safarian and violinist Bardia Shams will join the orchestra for the performance.
Video Game Scores Take the Concert Stage
The Mitra Orchestra will turn to the music of video games for “Gamephony,” a concert conducted by Muhammad Reza Safavi at Tehran’s Rose Mall on September 1 at 8:30 p.m.
The program will present orchestral arrangements of music from some of the world’s best-known video games, including PUBG, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Hitman, Warcraft, Shadow of the Colossus and Super Mario.
For millions of players, the music of these games has become inseparable from their memories of the worlds created on screen. “Gamephony” brings those scores into the concert hall, allowing audiences to experience them through the sound and scale of a live orchestra.
The Mitra Orchestra, which has previously performed works from both Iranian and international classical traditions, is turning this time to one of the most widely consumed forms of contemporary popular culture. Video game music has increasingly developed into a significant musical field of its own, attracting both audiences and composers beyond the gaming world.
Tehran Conservatory Marks Anniversary With ‘A Night With Culture’
The Tehran Conservatory marked the anniversary of its establishment with “A Night With Culture,” a musical program presented in cooperation with Niavaran Cultural Center on August 19 at 6 p.m. in the complex’s Persian Gulf Hall.
Groups made up of teachers and students of the conservatory performed works spanning a range of styles, including Iranian, modal, pop, jazz and rock music.
The program concluded with nostalgic and well-known works by Babak Radmanesh, the Iranian poet and composer.
Sir William Walton in Focus
The Arasbaran Cultural Center will host the 10th session in its series examining composers of the English School, this time focusing on two major works by Sir William Walton, one of Britain’s leading composers of the 20th century.
The session, led by composer, translator and music critic Nasrollah Davoudi, will take place on August 20 at 6 p.m. and will examine Walton’s Façade and Belshazzar’s Feast.
The former is closely associated with the modernist side of Walton’s early career, while Belshazzar’s Feast became one of his most celebrated large-scale choral works.
The William Walton Trust lists Façade – An Entertainment and Belshazzar’s Feast among the composer’s principal works.
Walton was born in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1902 and received relatively little formal training in composition, developing largely as a self-taught musician. His association with the Sitwell family played
an important role in his early career, particularly through Façade, while Belshazzar’s Feast, his First Symphony and his concertos established his reputation as one of the leading British composers of his generation.
At the Arasbaran session, Davoudi will play excerpts from Walton’s music while examining the composer’s distinctive musical language and his position within 20th-century British music.
Admission to the session is free. It will be held at the Arasbaran Cultural Center on Shariati Street, above Seyyed Khandan Bridge, Jolfa Street.