گفتگو با بهزاد رنجبران
Hasanka Ranasinghe
Behzad Ranjbaran is a highly-acclaimed composer, whose fascinating music – a blend of Persian and Western – is a reflection of his background, and his interest in the dualism of identity
The Canadian premiere of Ranjbaran's Violin Concerto will be performed by internationally-acclaimed violinist, Joshua Bell, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as part of the first ever New Creations Festival. It will take place at Roy Thomson Hall on April 6 and 7. Ranjbaran will be in Toronto for the event
Ranjbaran was born in Tehran in 1955 and went to the U.S.A in 1974 to complete his studies
What does it mean to you to have your Violin Concerto performed as part of the first ever New Creations Festival
Well, I’m certainly very delighted that this New Creations festival is happening in Toronto and that my violin concerto is part of this. The violin concerto was written for Joshua Bell and he’s giving the Canadian premier at this festival. I’m very confident because Joshua Bell is such a strong, a very, very strong musician
You’ve travelled widely and lived in the U.S.A for three decades. How has that affected your identity and your music
Well, as an artist and a human being, I’m influenced by my surroundings. However, the cultural roots are stronger because these are the initial impressions of life. And when I compose, I am surrounded by Persian poetry, the early feelings that I had about nature, also Persian music. So these are all vividly present
However, in the last 30 years that I have spent in the States, the music that I have encountered continues to play an important role. So it’s a synthesis of my earlier years and my current surroundings It’s a music that is international in language, but does have Persian colour, and Persian modes, Persian motifs and embellishment in the music, but this music is international in essence, an international language
I feel I’m privileged to be able to express what I feel in the form of music and also create a musical language that would translate into a common language for a number of people who have gone through this kind of experience.
It’s a dual life meaning you no longer live where you were born and you were raised. And it’s a dual influence, the place of your current residence as well as the cultural roots. To me it’s very fascinating, the fact that New York is a place that has many, many immigrants, artists as well as ordinary people, and that makes me very close to their experience as well
Do you consider this to be your niche
I compose basically to express myself. Not to follow or to fill in any particular niche, because to me that would be artificial Composing is organic and very spontaneous and really digs deep down into your soul So what I write is what I feel, what I feel deeply. I cannot write any other way, this is my own way. Obviously as an artist I continuously evolve and change like any other human being. But the music that I write represents at this point – obviously I’m always in search of more profound language and I’m influenced by my continuing experience in life – however, what I write is who I am
What was it about Shahnameh (The Epic of Kings) that so inspired you to compose the Persian Trilogy
Shahnameh to me is like a milestone in my upbringing. I was influenced at a very early age by Shahnameh. My mother won an art competition in Tehran, and the prize was a book of Shahnameh. On the cover of the book, there was a colour print depicting the battle of Rustam, the main hero, with a white demon. That bloody scene shook me to the core, and I still remember that picture vividly after all these years So from an early age I became fascinated by the book, by the comprehensive nature of the book – that a man could devote his whole life to recount the history of his predecessors and his nation’s, both in legendary terms and also in historic terms.
Also because I was born in Tehran. East of Tehran there is a mountain called mount Alborz and mount Damavand, and in the book, the legendary bird Seemorgh, supposedly lived in that mountain, and I was absolutely mesmerized by the prospect of going up in the morning and witnessing the sunrise . . .from behind mount Damavand and expecting to see Seemorgh circling the mountain As an artist I admire Shahnameh and what Ferdowsi produced, creating such an immense work that has influenced generations
Why did you choose those three stories from the epic
There were obvious reasons. One was Seemorgh, that I had a very emotional attachment to. I was also inspired by the richness of the story. The fact that there is a legendary bird with colourful feathers and a white boy that was abandoned. And the white boy rides on the back of the legendary bird, circling the Damavand and also the proximity to where I lived in Tehran
The second piece, the Blood of Seyavash. I was commissioned to write a ballet and the episode in Shahnameh about Seyavash is one of the best written in terms of the organization and in terms of richness of character. Often some of these episodes are narrow in terms of the number of characters, or only describing a battle. This particular episode has everything. It has a love affair, it has jealousy, it has heroism, it has truth, it has wisdom, it has women men so it has a complete ideal story for a ballet
The third piece, the heroism in the Seven Passages reminded me of not only the heroism of Rustum, but I took it as a symbolism that all of us ordinary people do act heroically from time to time, and these are unsung heroes
If I find an opportunity, obviously I will write another one I worked [on the Persian trilogy for] 11 years. Obviously I wrote a number of other works in between
Which of the three works did you find most difficult to write
They were all difficult to write. Composing is an incredibly challenging process. You sit in front of a blank paper and you have to create a music that has never existed. And it is always a frightening experience. But gradually, the images and the music come to you, and one has to really shape it and structure it. But the one that I enjoyed very much was the Blood of Seyavash, the whole ballet is 42 minutes long and I incredibly enjoyed writing it because the heroism, and the honesty and integrity of Seyavash was the guiding force for me [in writing] this piece. He’s an incredible character, whether legendary or historical, but just the story is so dramatic and rich. And I tried to make the music as concise and organic as possible. It has only three melodies in the entire ballet and it just goes through different variations and different character transformations in only three melodies
What’s the process of preparing yourself to compose
Each piece is different. Some pieces the inspiration comes easier. Some compositions, just for the initial first few notes it might take a few months to have inspiration. For that I always plan ahead, months or years in advance as I don’t want to put myself in a corner that I have to produce a work immediately
I have to feel the entire piece, I have to hear the entire piece in order to write it down, I just do not write note by note. I have a conception of the entire work in my head and then I gradually start to write. So it all happens in my mind, and then gets translated to black and white notes
The critics can’t use enough superlatives to describe your music. How would you describe your music and yourself For me composing is a personal journey, I enjoy writing, it’s a challenging task, but I enjoy it tremendously because I learn about myself, I learn about what I like, I learn about what I could do with my imagination. So the entire process is a very personal journey to create a piece of music
The second stage is the public response. If the public enjoys it, shares the same feelings, the concept, the process becomes a bit more enjoyable. However, I always write for two types of personality one is the composer who writes the music – I have to enjoy what I write – and also for the other side, the listener. I write a piece of music that I would enjoy listening to [this helps] to make the music accessible. I think that’s an important process in composing, to carry the listener along with that personal journey obviously it doesn’t happen in the first listening like any good poem, you may not appreciate all the levels of complexity immediately, it requires more readings
Is there a tension between what you as the composer want, and what you as the listener want
Continuously. I continuously go through these dialogues, that one [side of me] wants to create what could be very abstract, and . . . the other side the listener, wants to make it more accessible. So I continuously have these debates and dialogue every note that I
choose
Is the bias more towards the composer or the listener
It depends. I am a believer in structure. To me, music has to have different levels of complexity. Obviously the surface has to be accessible for someone who hears it for the first time. But I believe that this kind of music – classical music – has to have certain levels of complexity for someone who wants to gain more and analyze the piece . . . to make it more enjoyable to someone who intends to hear it more than once or to understand it at greater depth . . . So a lot of times that is the debate – between accessibility and complexity. I try to create a balance between the two
اخرین اخبار در باره بهزاد رنجبران:
On March 31, 2005, Joshua Bell gives the American premiere of Ranjbaran's violin concerto with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Venzago. The following week, Joshua Bell also premieres the violin concerto with the Toronto Symphony conducted by Peter Oundjian
* Ranjbaran's Piano Quintet will receive its world premiere on August 14, 2005. This work is a commission by Saratoga Chamber Music Festival as part of his summer composer residency in Saratoga Springs, New York. Furthermore, several chamber works by Ranjbaran will be performed in the same series
* Chantal Juillet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Charles Dutoit, will perform the Ranjbaran Violin Concerto in Saratoga Music Festival on August 20, 2005
* Philadelphia Orchestra will also premier "Saratoga", Ranjbaran's new orchestral work, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Saratoga Music Festival. This performance is scheduled for August 10, 2005
* On August 5, 2005, International Sejong Soloists will give the world premiere of Ranjbaran's commissioned string orchestra piece at the opening concert of the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea
