TEHRAN -- The Ferdowsi Foundation paid tribute to the Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri on the last night of the Shahnameh concerts in Tehran.

The foundation paid homage to Nazeri for his efforts and achievements in expanding the reading of Shahnameh.
Nazeri along with the Ferdowsi Ensemble performed concerts based on Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh at the Milad Hall of the Tehran Permanent Fairground from March 10 to 12.
At the concert, the Ferdowsi Foundation Director Mohammad-Hossein Tusivand presented an honorary diploma to Nazeri after his performance.
“Unfortunately due to some historical issue, Shahnameh reading went into decline in Iran over the last 100 years,” Nazeri lamented.
He went on to say that few renowned vocalists had performances based on Shahnameh and the view toward traditional music is mostly based on the sonnet in Iran.
“Shahnameh is related to Iran and it forms the epic literary history of the country, so I am happy that I could perform these concerts in my motherland,” he added.
They have previously performed concerts in New York, Paris and some African countries, including Morocco, but this is their debut performance in their homeland.
The concert focused on selected Shahnameh stories, namely the passing of Siavash through the fire, Zahhak and the Seven Adventures of Rustam and a small piece of naqalli will be performed at the event, he previously mentioned.
The French government presented Nazeri the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur medal, one of the most coveted trophies in the world of art and culture, during a ceremony in Paris in 2009.
Photo: Vocalist Shahram Nazeri waves to the audience before his concert at the Milad Hall of the Tehran Permanent Fairground on March 12, 2011. (ISNA/Hemmat Khahi)