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SEYED SINA SADEGHPOUR – MOSAIC. SONIC PERSPECTIVES ON IRAN
Chamber music for soprano and mixed ensemble
In the years after the Islamic revolution, the situation for art and culture in my home country of Iran has changed fundamentally. Musicians, especially female musicians, are confronted with great restrictions and limitations. For a long time I've carried with me the idea of using the freedom I have here in Germany to contribute and write what is forbidden in Iran: contemporary material for soprano voice.
The Persian poems come from two different times. Very old texts by Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) are contrasted with new texts by Mahmood Motaghedi (*1946), Nima Yushij (1897-1960) and Ahmadreza Ahmadi (*1940). They are linked by their themes of home, nature and love.
The compositions for the poems combine aspects of traditional and classical Persian music with the techniques of contemporary European music. The different traditions should enter into a new connection. I wanted to explore the possibilities of cross-pollination and create a language influenced by both poles. The quarter tones used and the more cyclical use of time have grown out of the Persian tradition. The colorfulness that arises from the new instrumental techniques expands the space and poses new challenges to perception.
Love, death and wine are the topoi in Omar Khayyam's genre of poetry Rubaiyat, from which the poem Avaz (singing) originates. The piece Avaz I I wrote for soprano, harp, horn - and a bottle of wine. Avaz II is a second version with additional clarinet and speaking voice.
The legend of Rira and the poem of the same name by Nima Yushij inspired me to write the piece Purchase for soprano and bass clarinet. A young woman named Rira gets lost in the forest. She never finds out, and her spirit remains there as the protector of the forest. However, from time to time, their wondrous singing can be heard at night. In the piece, the combination tones created between bass clarinet and soprano might make Rira's presence perceptible.
The ancient rhythmic principles in Iran were based on astrology and philosophy. The composition Dourefalak (celestial cycle) refers to the orbit of two planets. At the beginning of time the planets were in a perfect line. As their movement began, different orbits were created, on which they approached each other and moved away from each other again. The same principle was applied to the rhythmic realm. Also in my piece Dourefalak the rhythmic patterns of three planets have a common starting point. They move away from each other, creating a rhythmic structure of constant variation until they meet again.
farsh (Carpet) is based on the traditional songs of the carpet weavers. The patterns, the colors of the wool strands and the number of knots are sung by a worker in a carpet weaving workshop. The remaining weavers repeat the call as they tie the appropriate knots. However, every woman knots at a slightly different pace. The response calls are made at different time intervals. The result is an endless stream of constant imitations that fills the workshop. For my composition, I took a square centimeter of a traditional carpet pattern as a basis and set it to music. The sounds of the tools and the atmosphere in the workshop also flowed into the composition.
Zendaniye Vazheha (Prisoner of Your Words) is based on ten poems from two volumes of poetry by Mahmood Motaghedi (Abrha khamoushand / Az parehaye dust dashtanat) and deals with the loss of love and home. The music is influenced by folk music in Masanderan and Azerbaijan. The piece is written for soprano, trombone, cello, piano and percussion.
One of the seven main modes in Persian classical music is Chahargah. In my piece Tchahargah I followed the sequence of formal sections of a traditional piece and combined them with the characteristic sounds of the prepared piano and cello. I wanted to respect the traditional form and at the same time allow a new perspective on it.
Derakhte Sib (Apple Tree) comes from the collection of poems by Ahmadreza Ahmadi. Secret love, the transience of time and the coming and going of nature are aspects of the poem that inspired me to compose it. Opposing feelings are reflected in the line-up: harp, cello, side drum, crotales and soprano.
Seyed Sina Sadeghpour
program:
Mosaic. Sonic Perspectives on Iran
Chamber Music for Soprano and Mixed Ensemble
[01] Avaz I for soprano, harp, horn and a bottle of wine (2015) 08:53
based on a poem by Omar Khayyam
Gelareh Vazirizadeh, soprano
Lea Wirtz, harp
Michael Hofmann, horn
[02] Purchase for soprano and bass clarinet (2013) 06:32
on a poem by Nima Yushij
Gelareh Vazirizadeh, soprano
Dana Barak, clarinet
[03] Dourefalak for prepared piano (2012) 06:49
Everett Hopfner, piano
[04] farsh for two horns, trumpet, trombone, tar, oud, tombac, cello and two sopranos (2017) 05:25
Michael Hofmann & Chin-Ting Lou, Horn
Henrike Genieser, trumpet
Carlo Eisenmann, trombone
Azadeh Amiri, Tar
Leila Zahireddini, Oud
Maryam Molla, Tombac
Sabine Buchmann, cello
Gelareh Vazirizadeh & Sayeh Sodeyfi, soprano
Zendaniye Vazheha for soprano, trombone, cello, piano and percussion (2012) 16:27
on poems by Mahmood Motaghedi
[05] Az buye Deariya 01:48
[06] Jonun Paizio 01:18
[07] Talkh Mesle Vazheha 01:44
[08] Bear Astanaye Khamushio 01:19
[09] Zendaniye Vazheha 01:08
[10] Hamin ke Dustam midari 02:16
[11] Seatrha Reshte Mishavand 01:19
[12] Alefbaye Kuchakisti 02:01
[13] Dar Musighize Baadi 01:12
[14] Ruzatbekheyer 02:22
Gelareh Vazirizadeh, soprano
Carlo Eisenmann, trombone
Sabine Buchmann, cello
Martin Schmalz, piano
Saskia Kleemann, drums
[15] Tchahargah for cello and prepared piano (2008) 07:16
Sabine Buchmann, cello
Everett Hopfner, piano
[16] Avaz II for harp, horn, clarinet, speaker and a bottle of wine (2016) 09:25
based on a poem by Omar Khayyam
Lea Wirtz, harp
Michael Hofmann, horn
Dana Barak, clarinet
Gelareh Vazirizadeh, spokeswoman
[17] Derakhte Sib for harp, cello, side drum, crotales and soprano (2019) 06:37
on a poem by Ahmadreza Ahmadi
Lea Wirtz, harp
Sabine Buchmann, cello
Saskia Kleemann, Side Drum & Crotales
Gelareh Vazirizadeh, soprano
Total playing time: 67:32
first recordings