Farzane Navai
(1956 – 2004)
(To read this article in Persian please see):
http://www.iranflamenco.com/news/archive/n3440.htm
(An interview with Persian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Farda
+ 2 sample of Farzane's harp (chang) playing is here):
http://radiofarda.org/culture/archive/2004/06/01062004.asp
Farzaneh Navai, the most prominent Persian harpist, who lived for many
years in Austria, died a few days ago of cancer in a hospital in the
city of Brgenz. She was 48. This is in memory of her and in consolation
with her sister and husband, Firoozeh Navai and Khosrow Soltani.
* * *
A few months ago, when Farzaneh was hospitalized again for cancer,
neither Khosrow nor Firoozeh nor I, nor any one of her friends and relatives
permitted such thoughts to enter our minds.
Up until the last moment, Farzaneh faced life with such an unbreakable
spirit, such hope and such love... that it was she who would give us
solace in the face of the tribulations of life.
Today, for the first time, I am gripped with revulsion for my pen.
Apparently, however, there is nothing to be done. To date, no article
by her, or interview with her, has ever been published in Persian-language
publications. I was one of the very few in Iran who was in contact with
her and her family... Thus, I shall speak of her and her noble art.
* * *
Farzaneh Navai (Soltani) was born in 1956. In 1967, she began to study
the harp (known to the Persians as "Chang") at the Tehran
Conservatory of Music. Upon receiving her diploma, she went on a scholarship
to Austria.
She studied at the Vienna Music Academy and she furthered her studies
at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris. Concurrent with her
studies in France, in September 1978, Farzaneh performed with the NIRT
(Iranian National Radio and Television) Chamber Orchestra - conducted
by Iradj Sahbai - at the City Theatre of Tehran. In 1979, she returned
from Europe to Persia.
For one year she taught the harp at the Tehran Conservatory and performed
with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, but for various reasons her residence
in Iran was not to last. Upon marrying Khosrow Soltani, together they
returned to Austria. The performance of the score for the play, "Lubiyayeh
Sehramiz" (Magic Bean), which went on stage during Nowrouz 1359/March
1980, was among her joint performances with her husband in her homeland.
After emigrating to Europe, the husband and wife were active in the
music scene in Vienna and, in 1983, upon moving to the state of Vorarlberg
in western Austria, they began to teach at various schools of music.
Concurrent with her teaching, Farzaneh performed countless recitals
and concerts with other Persian (Iranian) soloists who lived in that
region and its neighboring states (such as Firoozeh Navai, Mehdi Djamei,
Hossein Samieian and Saeed Taqaddosi).
Repeatedly, encouraged by Persian composers, she planned to release
a CD of Persian compositions for the harp but, alas, this project never
materialized. In one of her last letters to me, Farzaneh wrote: "The
first time I suggested this project to a few composers was twenty-five
years ago. So far, I must have suggested it to everyone, but either
nothing was done, or, if something was done, it was left incomplete.
Unfortunately, we Iranians lack resolve."
In the year 2000, two CDs of Farzaneh Navai were released in Europe,
in which she has expertly performed works by Marcel Gerandjani and Camille
Saint-Saens (harp solo), in addition to accompanying Saeed Taqaddosi
(flute) and Khosrow Soltani (panpipes) in European folk and classical
compositions.
Her last performances appear in her husband's latest CD entitled, "Mahur-e
Kabir", which was released in Europe. In this work, for the first
time, Farzaneh attempted to perform Persian melodies on the Western
harp. During the years following the 1979 revolution, Farzaneh studied
the tar and Persian classical music with Houshang Zarif, who had taken
up residence in Vienna. In this work she attempted to blend what she
had learned from both Persian and Western music.
Farzaneh has left two talented children, Kian and Sara.
(Special Thanks to Mr Ali Mehran to translate the text from Persian
into English)
By Pejman Akbarzadeh
(Member of "Artists Without Frontiers", Tehran Chapter)
http://artistswithoutfrontiers.com/pakbarzadeh/index.html
