A conversation with Hamid Motabasem a bout “ in the name of red rose album”

My guestion is about the change of your musical taste before every thing, during last decade, your musical taste changed unless the effects that you are the player. This changes are so clear in your melodic way of your effects, instrument regulation and poem selection. Fot example “ travel to other part” , “ gijak kouli” , “ the smell of norouz” , “ bribe moon “ , “ in the name of red rose” albums have their our world according to playing and even players. The purpose of my question is not just giving scores to your effects, the purpose is thinking about this change, is your musical sense under change?

All phenomena in the world aroundus are under changes, the nature is so and we are a part of nature, if we don’t change, we will fight with our nature. In making lelody, it would be better the melody maker doesn’t change his signature and taste so every part should have its unique feature, the love gives human life and I always in love with my work and every love is a beginning , …. Look at the gragen plants and sky, every moment they are in a new color, it is their nature to change, I should be so too, it is a wheel that orbits forward.

This effect is made in chahargah you used this structure because of its wide facilities or your reason was just your musical sense?

Apparently, you pay mor attention to my effect in chahargah structure, it is my first effect in this structure after “ bamded” and “ raghsenaz” , and other asked effects are in other strurtures.

There are 10 parts in this album, and among those. There is a part namely “ dibache” which is divided in 3 parts, please say your purpose of dividing and explain is there any emotional or musical relationship between these three parts of songs?

“dibache” complex is in fact a musical composition, so since internal part making is under influence of various parts and the beatiness of shafi kadkani poem, these changes were mentioned by the name , as various parts of a story. In shafi speech , there are different spaces together in one complex.

Do you make your music based on kadkani poem? Or at first making melody and then selecting his poem. It seems so simple but I want to pay this point that Iranian musical making comcerns is based on involvement of poem and melodies in his mind or musical instrument, regulation and melody, if the involvement is between poems and melody, what is the difference between a Iranian melody maker and a western one who pay less attention to poem, don’t you think that Iranian melody maker by selecting poem for transferring general sense and story to listeners makes himself relaxed?

My musical parts were made by the influence of poem without exceptions and I didn’t put poem on melody up to now and generally I am not match with this way. Every one makes a melody or sing a song with poem called melody maker in our music, but in western classic music there is another way, so it would be better to compare these two categories with more attention, but there are a lot of words and works about composition making art in iran music, persion classic poem facilities lets melody makers to make a song by an easy way based on poem, there are those who without enough knowledge and with a little taste make composition and it is sometimes good, since the producer is not aware of his influence on that work and it is Persian classic poem that makes it easy, you can hear that all new and old songs have same rhythm but here words and concepts are in less attention Persian poem changed and sing and melody making ehanged too, today we shouldn’t make easy works. It is against the nature of art. Art is a part of human nature so we should work hard for it.

If we look so. Then words not only make your work easy but also it needs its own expertise and difficulties.

Initially, did you make these parts for salar aqili sound?

While I was making the first parts of “ in the name of red rose”. I hadn’t known salar aqili and his abilities well , but by  last five years I knew that he will sing this song.

Many listeners believe that salar aqili didn’t tell this idea well and in their idea he doesn’t read all parts in the same harmony, what is your idea?

In stead of my personal idea, and looking technically, he is undoubtedly one of the best singers of iran and oppeared very well in this work. All things salar song except the first two lines was in the same way and really song well. And I thank him. It is not just my idea, all believe this. Those ideas that you mentioned is respectful but don’t reduce my belief and honest to my ear and in tellogence.

What was the purpose of using sitar in this complex? Is it an integrative iran – India effects by adding a non – Iranian instrument? Don’t you think that the sudden entrance of this instrument hurts iran musical atmosphere and iran musical frame work too? Because “ in the name of red rose “ complex is based on iran instrument since sifar is an lidian original instrument. Also , tell us please is there any note for ditar or player plays it just based on its sense and mood.

The mood and spece of sifar explained to the player and all notes were writhen in advance, and since sifar doesn’t play original Indian music and is based an writer , we cant call it integrative one.

Basically, in art , searching purpose, am and need is not necessary and art discipline is different from ofter phenomena discipline; in art nature, there is a chaos and creating a new discipline by the use of dis order.

Creating new thing in iran music is not match with concerns about hurting its frame, those things that are revolutionized surely changed and hurt its previous frame, also just at that effect! Near me, as a little one, there are great ones that are supporters of old frame of this art. So we shouldn’t worry about this.

Was sifar recorded in India, or did you go to another country?

This young player lives in India, and for recording this part we went to germany.

Is mr.hart kishna familiar with iran music and dastan works?

He knew it recently.

Is there any force to perform this job with dastan group? You use 3 guest players in this CD: mr. hart kishna , sifar , mr. poya saraee, dulci. Mr. reza abaee; girak. It seems that if we make a comparison in this work, we will come to this point that you use girak as violin, use dulci for work color and as piano. Sifar is the soloist; so wouldn’t it be better to perform this job a western orchestra ? the force of using Iranian instrument by sifar entrance reduced, why didn’t you do that in order to make work fluently and decrease the heaviness of work and its philosophical aspects?

You mean that if we do that, wont it be a heavy and philosophical work ?

You mean that isn’t good to be logical or heavy? Or do you want to say that violin and piano are lawful to do that and dulci or gigak no? and if your meaning is that to be fluent is to be understood easily and refers to complexity of this effect it will prove “ in the name of red rose” and encourage me. Because a new music reguires new ear and it is not match with single believes and narrow- minding. According to making this effect with western playing instrument; I should say that all these things can be done and it refers to just the writer to deliver his performance. Dastan group is the best same playing in iran, and it is my honor to perform this work with dastan and force is not a good word. His possible to use other playing instrument in dastan group based on need.

I didn’t have this meaning that using samphonic orchestra is a way to reduce heaviness and philosophy, or it is not good to be in this way. I mean to have quick relationship with the audience. You know Iranian ears knew geat orchestra for years such as golha and….. even if new playing instruments formed by 50 decade and had good performance, people have a good relation ship with great orchestra yet. And it is interesting to know that all new playing instruments are great orchestra recently and follow our old great orchestra such as golha – national and …. And just melal archestra has a new way, and because if its huge expenses it is hard to work with great expenses since it needs factors that are unavailable here suchas agog place for practice, a good orchestra leader and …. Personally I believe that saying your meaning with a 8 – 9 persons orchestra is more difficult than a 50 persons orchestra, but audiences have another understanding, please explain about this, if you want to say something.

I belive that art should have its effect on time and the arlist shouldn’t put his work quality on this mother . the orchestra volume doesn’t show its quality and every special musical effect has its own special form. Although it is true that call  “ in the name of redrose” heavy and logical , it is not the player purpose and it is because of work nature and inevitable thing. It would be better instead of calling it heavy and philosophical, call it a special performance, it is like this mother that you cook a traditional food with it special food and it is under question because of its different cooking way, in this matter you had a non – fraditional food with traditional materials. Now we should pay attention to this mather that the tester has a heathy taste? Or originally it is just a person for tasting others favours. Any way, I as a responsible and creator, respect those who assess “ in the name of red rose” by a kind heart and consideration rather than traditional measures and I am all ears. I wish to consider technically, how long does its recording take?

I cant remember truly, but I think 4 – days generally.

Did you record playing instrument one by one or in a group?

We generally try to record in a group but for this work we recorded one by one.

As you know, dastan members are not here in iran except mr. farajpouri , and you traveled here just for performance; by the way, when did you record this album? We were in iran recently for along time and had a lot of concerts, additionally, our common travel to different places let us be with each other , work together, practice more about our future.

What will be your plan for future?

I up date my two old works namely: “vanoush” and “ raghsenaz” and hopefully next fall with the help of “ noghte tariff” institute will perform it .

Now , we are preparing for “ homaioon shajarian” cancert with dastan group and performing “ khorshid arezoo” and “ ghizhak kooli” in Europe and northern America. We will perform at stage “ in the name of red rose” by 2010 and continue our job with “ homaioon shajarian” simorgh music project, a work on the “ zal” story from “ferdosi shahname” , from 1375 is on my hand and will finish as soon as possible and formally start its activity and practice.