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Concerto for Solo Actress: The Legend Of Yush's Poet
2018-03-04
The structure of this "concerto" is a combination
of contemporary Naghali (recounting stories), spoken word,
and contemporary performance art. The actress here creates
musical events with voice, body, and movement; a bit like a
piano concerto that does not have an orchestra. For me, the
Mise-en-scène functions like the orchestration of a
piece.
Naqqāli (or Naghali) is the oldest form of dramatic
performance in Iran. Historically, it has adapted itself to
socio-political circumstances. Before the Sassanid (651 AD),
Naqqāls were poets and musicians simultaneously:
they recited stories while playing instruments.
Bārbad was the most renowned Naqqāl of the
Sassanid. During Ghaznavids (10th-12th AD), the Court banned
musical Naqqāli, but the tradition survived in
remote areas.
The performer – the Naqqāl – recounts stories
in verse or prose accompanied by gestures and movements, and
sometimes instrumental music and painted scrolls.
Naqqāls function both as entertainers and as
bearers of Persian literature and culture, and need to be
acquainted with local cultural expressions, languages and
dialects, and traditional music.
The Concerto for Solo Actress is a faithful narration based
on the poem “Afsaneh” (The Legend) by Nima Yushij. I
left Tehran for two years in order to write “The Legend of
Yush’s Poet”. For this purpose, what place could be
better than the homeland of Nima, the father of modern
Iranian poetry and whose poem “The Legend” poem charmed
me?
I took up residence in the village of Khesht Sar, in the
Central District of Mahmudabad County, Mazan- daran
Province, Iran, and in close proximity to the birthplace of
Nima – Yush. Whenever I was going to the city, I saw a
large board at the entrance of the city that had been
written on it: “Welcome to Nima Yushij’s Birthplace”.
Indeed, Yush and Mazandaran are Nima, and Nima is the
pristine nature of the North of Iran. My new home was near
the Caspian Sea, which Nima describes it like this: “Your
lips were smiling in that wave”. The only music that
filled my mind in those two years were the sounds of nature
and silence. In this silence, I had the opportunity to think
about one thing every day and every hour! Who is the legend?
What shape is she? How is her singing? How bitter is her
bitterness? And how long is her way?
The performance of this work certainly has the result of
cooperating with a sympathetic and committed group that I
should be very grateful to all of them. Those who were with
me at eleven nights’ live perfor- mance of this work and
then at all stages of recording, producing, and preparing
the audio and video version.
As far as I know, The Legend of Yush’s Poet is the first
concerto that written for an actress. However, I am
responsible for all the errors ahead. But at the same time,
I present the premiere of this work to all members of the
group and Ghazal Naeemi, who practiced hardly and tirelessly
for almost seven months. I am grateful to my sophisticated
and kind-hearted friend, Ramin Dargahi, who translated all
the texts into English. I am grateful to my dear wife, Lena
Koocheri, who has strongly supported me all this time. Also,
I thank Mohammad Mousavi and Bruce Hamilton, who helped me
to produce this work.
My greatest hope and desire during the making of this
project and upon the release of its audio and video albums
is that Nima Yushij, a well-known poet of Iran, is watching
our work and smiling on what we have done – like a wave
that smiles on the sea and caresses us slowly! - Ehsan
Saboohi Tehran 2017
Spectropol Recordsof contemporary Naghali (recounting stories), spoken word,
and contemporary performance art. The actress here creates
musical events with voice, body, and movement; a bit like a
piano concerto that does not have an orchestra. For me, the
Mise-en-scène functions like the orchestration of a
piece.
Naqqāli (or Naghali) is the oldest form of dramatic
performance in Iran. Historically, it has adapted itself to
socio-political circumstances. Before the Sassanid (651 AD),
Naqqāls were poets and musicians simultaneously:
they recited stories while playing instruments.
Bārbad was the most renowned Naqqāl of the
Sassanid. During Ghaznavids (10th-12th AD), the Court banned
musical Naqqāli, but the tradition survived in
remote areas.
The performer – the Naqqāl – recounts stories
in verse or prose accompanied by gestures and movements, and
sometimes instrumental music and painted scrolls.
Naqqāls function both as entertainers and as
bearers of Persian literature and culture, and need to be
acquainted with local cultural expressions, languages and
dialects, and traditional music.
The Concerto for Solo Actress is a faithful narration based
on the poem “Afsaneh” (The Legend) by Nima Yushij. I
left Tehran for two years in order to write “The Legend of
Yush’s Poet”. For this purpose, what place could be
better than the homeland of Nima, the father of modern
Iranian poetry and whose poem “The Legend” poem charmed
me?
I took up residence in the village of Khesht Sar, in the
Central District of Mahmudabad County, Mazan- daran
Province, Iran, and in close proximity to the birthplace of
Nima – Yush. Whenever I was going to the city, I saw a
large board at the entrance of the city that had been
written on it: “Welcome to Nima Yushij’s Birthplace”.
Indeed, Yush and Mazandaran are Nima, and Nima is the
pristine nature of the North of Iran. My new home was near
the Caspian Sea, which Nima describes it like this: “Your
lips were smiling in that wave”. The only music that
filled my mind in those two years were the sounds of nature
and silence. In this silence, I had the opportunity to think
about one thing every day and every hour! Who is the legend?
What shape is she? How is her singing? How bitter is her
bitterness? And how long is her way?
The performance of this work certainly has the result of
cooperating with a sympathetic and committed group that I
should be very grateful to all of them. Those who were with
me at eleven nights’ live perfor- mance of this work and
then at all stages of recording, producing, and preparing
the audio and video version.
As far as I know, The Legend of Yush’s Poet is the first
concerto that written for an actress. However, I am
responsible for all the errors ahead. But at the same time,
I present the premiere of this work to all members of the
group and Ghazal Naeemi, who practiced hardly and tirelessly
for almost seven months. I am grateful to my sophisticated
and kind-hearted friend, Ramin Dargahi, who translated all
the texts into English. I am grateful to my dear wife, Lena
Koocheri, who has strongly supported me all this time. Also,
I thank Mohammad Mousavi and Bruce Hamilton, who helped me
to produce this work.
My greatest hope and desire during the making of this
project and upon the release of its audio and video albums
is that Nima Yushij, a well-known poet of Iran, is watching
our work and smiling on what we have done – like a wave
that smiles on the sea and caresses us slowly! - Ehsan
Saboohi Tehran 2017
