Bijan Mortazavi
Encyclopedia
Bijan Mortazavi born on November 16, 1957 in Babol
, is a popular Iran
ian violin
ist, singer and songwriter
. Although his albums are banned in Iran his instrumental pieces aired many times in Iran TV.
. He started playing the violin at the age of three. Later on in Tehran
, he was trained specific techniques such as improvisation
, orchestration
, arrangement
, quarter tone
, dastgah
by some of the very well known violinists in Iran.
Bijan started learning the violin
under supervision of maestro Masoud Namazian when he was only 3. At the age of seven, he started playing the piano
, guitar
, percussion, and folklore
string instruments, such as oud
, tar
, and santur
.
Bijan took Violin lessons from masters such as Ali Tajvidi
, Parviz Yahaghi
, Habibollah Badiei &Jahangir Kamian.
Bijan won his first prize at age of eleven in a national music contest among students of all ages in Iran. He was fourteen, when he assembled a thirty-two man orchestra, performing his own compositions and arrangements at the famous Ramsar
Summer Camp in Iran.
After having graduated from high school Bijan moved to the United Kingdom
. There, he pursued his academic interest in the field of Civil Engineering
while continuing with his performances and his violin training.
he composed many songs for him and played violin in his concerts. He released his first album "Bijan Mortazavi his music and his songs" in 1990, which was a best seller among Persian albums that year.
instrumental music brought him fame but he never composed a separate instrumental album again. Before the Album, he produced on 2004, he released two other albums on 1999 and 2001.
In 2004 Bijan released the album "Ye Ghatreh Darya" which was a happy dance album, including a Kurdish style track "Ronak". The album soon became famous and has been played many times in Persian weddings and parties.
The 2006 album was a different album specially in lyrics. The lyrics of this album was written by the famous Iranian poet Iraj Janatie Ataie
who writes lyrics for famous Iranian pop singers such as Ebi
and Dariush
. One of the impressive tracks is "Be man che" which is the name of the album too. It has a very meaningful lyrics and Iraj himself has declaimed the lyrics in the beginning of the track.
After the album "Fire on Ice" Bijan albums are a combination of instrumental and vocal pieces. What sets Bijan apart from other performers, is his ability to personally play all the instruments used in his arrangements.
In 2010 his latest album "Music and I" was released on 16 November 2010.
In 1995 he has been honored as the first Iranian artist to be sponsored by the Chrysler Corporations.
in Los Angeles
. There he performed his music with orchestra for the first time. One of the pieces he played during this concert entitled Epic had been written by him when he was eleven years old. This concert became his best live performance and the video had been released as "Bijan Live at the Greek Theatre".
Bijan also performed in other big venues around the world, among them such as Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles
, the Gibson Amphitheater (aka Universal Amphitheater) in Universal City, California
, the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and Highland Center, the Royal Albert Hall
, Equinox and Le Palace in London
, the Ford Center and Performing Arts Center
in Toronto
, Queen Elizabeth Auditorium in Vancouver
, the Albert Hall
in Copenhagen
, the Nobel Concert Hall and Global Auditorium in Stockholm
, and the Performing Arts Center
and Civic Auditorium
s in Australia
's Sydney
, Perth
, Melbourne
, Brisbane
, Adelaide
and Auckland
in New Zealand
.
On November 25 of 2009 Bijan received his Fellowship (PHD) from the Southampton Solent University
in Britain. His task is the development of contemporary middle eastern music in an academic form in United Kingdom and other western countries.
Babol
Babol is a city in and the capital of Babol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 198,636, in 55,943 families....
, is a popular Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Although his albums are banned in Iran his instrumental pieces aired many times in Iran TV.
Background
Bijan was born in the city of Babol in Northern part of IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He started playing the violin at the age of three. Later on in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, he was trained specific techniques such as improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
, orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
, arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, quarter tone
Quarter tone
A quarter tone , is a pitch halfway between the usual notes of a chromatic scale, an interval about half as wide as a semitone, which is half a whole tone....
, dastgah
Dastgah
Dastgāh is a musical modal system in traditional Persian art music. Persian art music consists of twelve principal musical modal systems or dastgāhs; in spite of 50 or more extant dastgāhs, theorists generally refer to a set of twelve principal ones...
by some of the very well known violinists in Iran.
Bijan started learning the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
under supervision of maestro Masoud Namazian when he was only 3. At the age of seven, he started playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, percussion, and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
string instruments, such as oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, tar
Tar (lute)
The tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian instrument. It has been adopted by other cultures and Azerbaijan. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian, though it might have the same meaning in languages influenced by Persian or any other branches of Iranian languages like Kurdish...
, and santur
Santur
The santur is a Persian hammered dulcimerIt is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut or different exotic woods. The Persian classical santur has 72 strings. The name santur was first referenced in ancient Persian poetry...
.
Bijan took Violin lessons from masters such as Ali Tajvidi
Ali Tajvidi
Ali Tajvidi , was a Persian musician, composer, violinist, songwriter, and music professor at the School of National Music and Tehran University...
, Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi was a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. He was born in Tehran in 1936 and died in Tehran in 2007....
, Habibollah Badiei &Jahangir Kamian.
Bijan won his first prize at age of eleven in a national music contest among students of all ages in Iran. He was fourteen, when he assembled a thirty-two man orchestra, performing his own compositions and arrangements at the famous Ramsar
Ramsar
Ramsar is a city in and the capital of Ramsar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,659, in 9,421 families....
Summer Camp in Iran.
After having graduated from high school Bijan moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. There, he pursued his academic interest in the field of Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
while continuing with his performances and his violin training.
Early years
In 1979, Bijan moved to the United States, continued his music education at the Texas State University, and settled in California in 1985. There he started composing and arranging music for Iranian pop singers. He soon became famous as a composer for the songs he composed for the famous Iranian singer MoeinMoein
Nasrollah Moein known as Moein is an Iranian singer known for his love songs. Born in 1951 in Najaf Abad in Esfahan, he has played lots of concerts across the world...
he composed many songs for him and played violin in his concerts. He released his first album "Bijan Mortazavi his music and his songs" in 1990, which was a best seller among Persian albums that year.
Music career
After release of the album "Bijan Mortazavi 3" most of Iranian considered Bijan a talented violinist and singer. His next album "Fire on Ice (instrumental) which was a combination of Persian violin style and New AgeNew Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
instrumental music brought him fame but he never composed a separate instrumental album again. Before the Album, he produced on 2004, he released two other albums on 1999 and 2001.
In 2004 Bijan released the album "Ye Ghatreh Darya" which was a happy dance album, including a Kurdish style track "Ronak". The album soon became famous and has been played many times in Persian weddings and parties.
The 2006 album was a different album specially in lyrics. The lyrics of this album was written by the famous Iranian poet Iraj Janatie Ataie
Iraj Janatie Ataie
Iraj Janatie Ataie is an Iranian playwright, poet and lyricist. He is famous for his critical lyrics especially his lyrics for Ebi and Dariush.-See also:*Bijan Mortazavi*Ebi*Shahyar Ghanbari*Googoosh*Dariush Eghbali-External links:***...
who writes lyrics for famous Iranian pop singers such as Ebi
Ebi
Ebi is a Persian Singer-songwriter and performer currently living in Marbella, Spain. He has combined musical influences from traditional Persian music, western pop and sometimes Latino style rhythms and is a major name in Persian music...
and Dariush
Dariush Eghbali
Dariush Eghbali better known by his stage name Dariush is a famous Iranian pop singer best known for his warm and plaintive bass voice heard in both ballads and political songs. He is also a social activist who directs a recovery center.-Early life:...
. One of the impressive tracks is "Be man che" which is the name of the album too. It has a very meaningful lyrics and Iraj himself has declaimed the lyrics in the beginning of the track.
After the album "Fire on Ice" Bijan albums are a combination of instrumental and vocal pieces. What sets Bijan apart from other performers, is his ability to personally play all the instruments used in his arrangements.
In 2010 his latest album "Music and I" was released on 16 November 2010.
Instrument
Bijan always plays a white handmade violin. " I like to play my white violin because to me white represents peace and friendship. " said Bijan in a TV interview.Concerts
The international tour beginning in 1990 brought Bijan to sold-out audiences throughout the world.In 1995 he has been honored as the first Iranian artist to be sponsored by the Chrysler Corporations.
Greek Theatre and other venues
On July 3, 1994, Bijan Mortazavi the first Iranian performer to display his talent at the Greek TheatreGreek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. There he performed his music with orchestra for the first time. One of the pieces he played during this concert entitled Epic had been written by him when he was eleven years old. This concert became his best live performance and the video had been released as "Bijan Live at the Greek Theatre".
Bijan also performed in other big venues around the world, among them such as Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the Gibson Amphitheater (aka Universal Amphitheater) in Universal City, California
Universal City, California
Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
, the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and Highland Center, the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, Equinox and Le Palace in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the Ford Center and Performing Arts Center
Toronto Centre for the Arts
The Toronto Centre for the Arts, previously known as the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts, opened in 1993 as the North York Performing Arts Centre and was designed by Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler for musicals, theatre productions and other performing arts...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Queen Elizabeth Auditorium in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, the Albert Hall
Albert Hall
Albert P. Hall is an American actor.Born in Brighton, Alabama, Hall graduated from the Columbia University School of the Arts in 1971. That same year he appeared Off-Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and on Broadway in the Melvin Van Peebles musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, the Nobel Concert Hall and Global Auditorium in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and the Performing Arts Center
Performing arts center
Performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is used to refer to* A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre....
and Civic Auditorium
Civic Auditorium
-Canada:*Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Ontario*Estevan Civic Auditorium in Estevan, Saskatchewan-United States:*Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California...
s in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
On November 25 of 2009 Bijan received his Fellowship (PHD) from the Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University is a university of 17,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre....
in Britain. His task is the development of contemporary middle eastern music in an academic form in United Kingdom and other western countries.
Studio album
With Caltex RecordsCaltex Records
Caltex Records is a record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label is run mostly by Iranian-Americans and was one of the first Iranian record labels to be established in the United States after the Iranian Revolution. Caltex has a long history of many successful acts and has made stars...
- 1990-The Magic of Bijan Mortazavi his Music and his Songs (Bijan Mortazavi 1)
- 1992-Bijan Mortazavi 2
- 1994-Bijan Mortazavi 3 (instrumental album)
- 1994-Bijan Mortazavi 3 (vocal album)
- 1997-Fire on Ice (instrumental album)
- 1997-Fire on Ice (vocal album)
- 1999-Sweet Scent of Love
- 2001-Voice of Silence
- 2004-Yeh Ghatreh Darya
- 2006-Beh Man Cheh
- 2010-Music and I
Videos
- 1994-Bijan Live at the Greek Theatre
- 2003-Ye Ghatreh Darya From Album 'Ye Ghatreh Darya'
- 2003-Gerye Konam Ya Nakonam From Album 'Ye Ghatreh Darya'
- 2003-RONAK From Album 'Ye Ghatreh Darya'
- 2003-LAVAND From Album 'Ye Ghatreh Darya'
- 2003-Rainbow From Album 'Ye Ghatreh Darya'
- 2004-Bijan in concert
- 2005-Be man Che From Album 'Be man Che'
- 2005-Ey Maah From Album 'Be man Che'
- 2005-Kaash Mishod From Album 'Be man Che'
- 2005-Maa hamoonim From Album 'Be man Che'
- 2010-Ax e toa From Album 'Music and I'
- 2010-Man o Toee From Album 'Music and I'
- 2010-Noor o Booseh From Album 'Music and I'
- 2010-Da'vat From Album 'Music and I'
- 2011-AnimationAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
video of Moosighi o Man From Album 'Music and I'
See also
- List of Persian violinists
- MoeinMoeinNasrollah Moein known as Moein is an Iranian singer known for his love songs. Born in 1951 in Najaf Abad in Esfahan, he has played lots of concerts across the world...
- Iraj Janatie AtaieIraj Janatie AtaieIraj Janatie Ataie is an Iranian playwright, poet and lyricist. He is famous for his critical lyrics especially his lyrics for Ebi and Dariush.-See also:*Bijan Mortazavi*Ebi*Shahyar Ghanbari*Googoosh*Dariush Eghbali-External links:***...
- Shadmehr AghiliShadmehr AghiliShadmehr Aghili born 27 January 1973 in Tehran, Iran) is the most favorite Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer, and formerly an actor. He emigrated to Canada first, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-Career:Shadmehr was a child prodigy...