Barenboim invites Iranian conductor

Barenboim invites Iranian conductor

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norman lebrecht

August 11, 2016

Ali Alexander Rahbari, who resigned from the Tehran Symphony Orchestra over structural inefficiencies, tells us that Daniel Barenboim has asked him to conduct the West-East Divan orchestra next year, with a view to staging a concert in Tehran. The pair met yesterday in Salzburg.

There are, claims Rahbari, eight Iranian players in the orchestra.

rahbari barenboim

Comments

  • Ellingtonia says:

    Be interesting to see how many women and Israelis are on stage for the concert………….

  • Fred says:

    none of course as it won’t happen

    BUT Rahbari is an EXCELLENT conductor, top class and should be better known.
    I’ve known him in Belgium and he was fabulous. Far underestimated talent !!!

    • Sam says:

      Agreed. His recordings with Belgian Radio and T.V Orchestra, are amazing.
      But I guess in order to be fully recognized, you have to be well-connected
      to the giant people of industry, like any other industry. That connection gives
      you invitation to conduct big orchestras and you will be promoted all the time.

      Conductors such as Brainboim, Mehta, Ozawa and others got well-connected at the
      beginning of their career (of course not to neglect their talents). This took them far in their
      career from the beginning. First world class orchestras usually play well (again not to neglect the role of conductor), good conductors just add to the sound. The art of conductor is to make a fine sound from the second class orchestra. For example listening to Zubin Mehta with Belgrade Philharmonic shows how the conductor is unable to create a fine sound from the second class orchestra.

  • John Borstlap says:

    It is great that Western classical music is performed at all in Iran, and religious censorship must have been rather mellow towards it, or the mullah’s consider it a strong symbol of progress and modernity. For hairdo’s however, it can be quite disruptive:

    http://subterraneanreview.blogspot.nl/2015/08/beethoven-in-iran.html

  • Holly Golightly says:

    “Structural inefficiencies” in Iran? LOL. Makes me think of “The Big Lebowski” and the cop’s comment…”leads”!!!!

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