Niavaran Cultural Center in Tehran has been host to two great musicians from Europe in recent days, performing classical music on the stage for Iranian enthusiasts.
The highly acclaimed German cellist Anja Lechner staged her first performance of the two-day concert at Niavaran Cultural Center Hall in Tehran on Friday (April 17).
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Hermes Records invited the renowned instrumentalist to perform once more in the capital, Honaronline reported.
This is the third time Lechner has travelled to Iran and this time she played solo. She had previously performed with the Tarkovsky Quartet, a band founded by the famous French pianist/composer François Couturier, during the 28th Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran in February 2013.
She joined Armenian pianist/composer Artur Avanesov in February 2014 to perform Garden II composed by Iranian musician Hooshyar Khayam.
This year Lechner has prepared a repertoire of not very known pieces by European classical musicians including German composer J.S. Bach.
She started her Friday solo concert with a piece by the Scottish composer and viol player, Tobias Hume. She was so skilled in her performance that in some parts she played her cello without using a bow and just with her finger tips. The next piece was Wanderer’s Song by the English composer Frederick Delius which lasted 10 minutes.
This was followed by a piece by the leading Armenian composer of classical music Tigran Mansurian and Bach’s Suite No. 3, much to the delight of the audience.
Classical Variety
Pieces by Ukrainian pianist and composer of contemporary classical music Valentyn Sylvestrov, Bulgarian composer Gheorghi Arnaoudov, German composer and great viola player Carl Friedrich Abel, and the rising star of Estonian contemporary music Tonu Korvits were also performed by Lechner.
Premiering a piece by Khayam ended the concert. In a statement on her Facebook page last week she had said, “Looking forward to premier Hooshyar Khayam’s Garden III for cello solo in Tehran next week.” To perform the piece, Lechner invited Khayam to the stage. The two masters finished the concert to the audience’s enthusiastic applause.
Anja Lechner was born in 1961, in Germany. Her broad spectrum of work embraces performances as soloist with orchestras, classical and contemporary chamber music as well as projects referencing diverse improvisational traditions. She has held concerts across the globe and collaborated with many famous figures of classical music.
In 2004, Lechner and the Greek pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos topped the US classical charts with ‘Chants, Hymns and Dances’.
Piano Performance
Two days before Lechner’s concert, Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center was also host to the renowned Spanish pianist Pablo Galdo who performed a piano recital on Wednesday (April 15).
The concert was organized with the help of the Spanish Embassy in Tehran. He also held a master class for music fans at the center on the following day.
The Spanish musician called his first performance in Iran as “one of my best experiences” and said, “I did not expect such enthusiasm for classical music among Iranians.”
Galdo is considered one of the most renowned and outstanding Spanish pianists of his generation. Some of the world’s greatest pianists and masters have been unanimous in highlighting his talent and musicianship.
He has performed and held master classes in several countries and been awarded many prizes at different festivals.
