Farhad Fakhreddini, currently the conductor of Iran’s National Orchestra, was honored at a ceremony held at the Persian Language Center in Tehran on January 12
The event ‘Night of Farhad Fakhreddini’, which had notable figures in music and other fields of art in attendance, was organized by Ali Dehbashi, chief editor of Bukhara Magazine, and the Mahmoud Afshar Endowments Foundation, ISCA News Agency reported.
“All of us hold sweet and sad memories throughout our life. Tonight, perhaps, has been the peak moment of my memories in the presence of my dear friends here,” Fakhreddini said adding that he began his career at a young age and always worked with love and passion and still works the same way.
Master Mohammadreza Shajarian, 75, who has performed as vocalist in a number of concerts with Fakhreddini, said that he has known the veteran conductor for over 50 years. “When the orchestra was established 20 years ago, I had the honor to perform with him and since then we have been good friends and have had great cooperation.”
The eminent traditional singer also described Fakhreddini as a unique person and praised his personal characteristics and professional knowledge and abilities. “I wish we had more people like him in the world,” Shajarian said
Abdolvahab Shahidi, 93, was another prominent traditional singer who participated in the program in spite of his illness. He thanked the organizers for paying tribute to music artists and said: “Someone like Fakhreddini is hard to find as such an artist is born once in every thousand years.”
Other renowned musicians including Loris Cheknavarian, Mohammad Sarir, Hooshang Kamkar and Kambiz Roshanravan also reminisced about their relations with Fakhreddini.
As the night concluded, the renowned instrumentalist Keivan Saket had a solo tar (string instrument) performance and young classical vocalist Salar Aqili sang some traditional pieces.
Books Unveiled
Two books about music in Iran written by Fakhreddini were also unveiled at the event.
Iran’s National Orchestra resumed its activities last May after a four-year hiatus, with Fakhreddini as its conductor once more.
Born in the northwestern city of Tabriz, Fakhreddini, 78, founded Iran’s National Orchestra in 1998. The orchestra includes Persian traditional string and woodwind instruments and has performed in different cities in Iran as well as in Kuwait, China, and Switzerland.
The conductor, who has composed music for several movies and popular TV series like ‘Sarbedaran’, ‘Imam Ali (AS)’, ‘Once Upon A Time’, and ‘The English Bag’, has twice won the award for the best score at the Fajr Film Festival.
He was awarded the ‘Order of Merit’, first degree in arts and culture, by the government in June 2005. In July 2008, a stamp was issued in his honor.
