TEHRAN – Maestro Majid Entezami will conduct a 150-piece orchestra on October 29 at the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran, at a concert featuring the memorable works he has made for Iranian films and TV series.

The works to be performed in the concert include “Kolah Pahlavi,” “From Karkheh to Rhein,” “The Glass Agency,” “The Scent of Joseph’s Shirt,” “The Insane Flew Away,” “Kani Manga,” “Men of Anjelos,” “Duel,” “Once Upon a Time, Cinema,” “The Eagles,” “Zaal and Simorgh,” “The Train,” “The Wolves,” and “The Symphony of the Epic of Khorramshahr,” Honaronline reported.

In 2023, the veteran composer and conductor Entezami staged the concert “Along with Memories,” in which he presented a selection of his works accompanied by Iran’s National Orchestra at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall. His presence on the stage, which happened after an 11-year hiatus, was met with remarkable audience reception, and the concert was extended for multiple runs.

Also an oboist, Entezami, 78, has composed music for over 80 movies, 10 television series, and 10 suite symphonies. He holds the record for winning the most Crystal Simorgh awards in the Best Original Score category at the Fajr International Film Festival.

He studied at State University of West Berlin under the supervision of Karl Steins and Lothar Koch in 1968. He performed successful concerts with the Berlin University Symphony Orchestra in Lyon, Nancy, and Marseille from 1969 to 1972.

In 1973, Entezami came to Iran by the invitation of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and performed a successful Mozart concert as oboe soloist, conducted by Helge Dorsch. Then he returned to Germany as a member of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and the West Deutsche Philharmonie.

In 1974, he became a member of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra as well as a teacher at the Tehran Conservatory and the music department of the University of Tehran. He performed two oboe recitals with Lucette Martirossian on piano and harpsichord and Ivan Pristas on bassoon in 1976 and a concert with the Les Jeunesses Musicales de l’Iran orchestra conducted by Ali Rahbari and Valodia Tarkhanian as viola d’amore soloist.

Despite being the son of famous Iranian actor Ezzatollah Entezami, Majid's entrance into the cinema industry was his own.

He has a profound understanding of the picture and has always tried to tell the untold essence of the story. He also has experience with a variety of styles, which has given his portfolio variety, from comedies to epic war movies.

The music of Entezami is orchestral and based on Western classical music, but with Iranian instruments and unusual rhythms which give his works an eastern feel. 

Every theme and musical color heard in Entezami's work has a rational explanation in the story. He believes that music tells a part of the story that is not already told in the picture. Some of his works seem to be narrative, almost like part of the script, but he maintains that no director has ever asked him for such characteristics.

Photo: Majid Entezami performed a selection of his memorable compositions at a concert titled “Along with Memories” at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall in December 2023.

SS/SAB