Speaking to Iran Daily on the sidelines of the festival (April 18-26), Loris Tjeknavorian expressed satisfaction with the fact that despite unilateral US sanctions on Iran and the country’s economic problems, people still show great interest in art festivals and events and have not forgotten about cultural issues.
Last May, US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed between Iran and P5+1 in July 2015, and reimposed the White House’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran in two phases.
He expressed hope that Iranians would attend music concerts and performances, particularly classical ones, as enthusiastically as they receive film festivals.
Commenting on his background in composing film music, Tjeknavorian said prior to the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, he had composed 30 musical pieces for different films.
However, he added, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, “I was mainly involved in writing musical pieces for operas and ballets as well as symphonies.”
Turning to the relationship between music and cinema, Tjeknavorian said the former is an important part of the latter.
“Nevertheless, I did not continue my work in the field of composing film music despite all its attractions as such pieces are not considered to be separate works of art.”
On his nationality, he said, “I am Armenian-Iranian. I was born in Iran and, thus, this country is my homeland. However, my father is from Armenia.”
Tjeknavorian said he will soon conduct a benefit concert in Tehran in support of flood-stricken people in the western Iranian provinces of Lorestan and Khuzestan.
Unprecedented rainfall in Iran in late March led to devastating floods in parts of the country killing more than seventy people and injuring hundreds more. The flooding has also caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to water and agriculture infrastructures.
Tjeknavorian noted that he will perform his own pieces in the concert to be held in two weeks’ time.