Meet Bahman Mehabadi | Violinist & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bahman Mehabadi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bahman, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
We are born with certain characteristics affecting the core of our personalities. Some people are characterized as firm and some as irresolute and uncertain. Those who have firm personalities, inject firmness and self-confidence when training their children and other people. They have a strong influence and consistently encourage their community towards good will, improvement, and deep thinking. They are regarded as role models without wanting it, and have influence over others simply by their actions, not by commanding or instructing. Their strong way of thinking even affects the factor of the surroundings which is one of the important factors in shaping the personality. They exert their ultimate effort to make a safe atmosphere, far from chaotic actions, essential for flourishing. They avoid unhealthy and unnecessary competitions, and follow their way calmly and consistently, and treat others and themselves with honesty. By this manner, they make their way through realizing their dreams. I have been one of these people. Today I am proudly watching how my daughter is developing her unique and beautiful personality, influenced by the implicit trainings of me and the whole family. She has studied Performance Arts, plays violin, and modern and classical ballet is one of her favorite fields. She is walking the path that I have followed in her own way, with the same passion and the same sense of creativity. So are every and each of my students. They learn about art, music, and deep thinking in my classes and face a kind of life-style that’s different from what they are surrounded by. I may say I can’t remember anyone not being impressed after meeting me and talking to me. Although this doesn’t always mean agreeing with me. Many of them started attacking me and my possessions, because they were not capable of persistency in studying, practicing, and developing mental skills. One should be loving their path and their job, never comparing their deep passion with the various atmospheres around them. This is crucial for achieving the clear and shining core of what they have in mind, and for touching it by their mind and heart. Then they’ll find out that their inner magnetism is working and impressing others. Some become their friends and some oppose them, as find them and their way inaccessible. There are so many unworthy distractions in life and daily temptations, strong enough for destroying any character or idea. Only those can be protected who are confident and devote themselves to their profession with love and with no earthily expectations, looking at higher horizons, while staying loyal to themselves.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As I said earlier, I see the distinction in the passion, emotions, imagination, and fantasy that are in work. An artist only thinks about their art and since they love their job, they don’t consider gain or loss in their creativity. An artist should have a good apprehension of themselves and their surroundings, and should know the technical ways into their profession, by these means strengthening their inner power of creativity. They are distinct from those who focus more on making money and never stop thinking about eating, drinking, parties, and extravagancies trying to cover their inner emptiness. The artist’s urge for creating is what distinguishes them from the others. This urge made me record 19 albums from my favorite classical music pieces. “Bach Sonatas and Partitas” is among them which shows how I interpret Bach’s music. Another album that is very memorable for me is “Recital” album which takes its name from the concert that I made jointly with Wolf Isynger. He was a wonderful pianist and arranged for a recital of violin and piano for me and him. Sadly he is not alive today, but the sound of his piano playing has stayed for ever with us in “Recital”. I have also composed a number of pieces, many of them for ensemble. I’m still writing more, and every new piece that I write makes me more fond of them. An artist stays loyal to honesty and moral values, and is usually judged and rejected by a small group who have no faith in those values. I din’t care for the scorns of those who lack art. I feel I’m the winner, as I am stronger and wiser than them. The market-oriented art which has filled many of the fields today, has went beyond the creativity zone, becoming over-simplified and crazy. So small people have found way in. But that’s only on the face of it and art keeps flowing inside. It’s hard to neglect it all, but you gradually learn how to strengthen yourself and pass the obstacles, how to see the many challenges ahead and to know and ignore those who are just imitating others and not playing their own roles. This is all a matter of learning. You should know that living a clean and calm life is difficult. I believe when human-being came to this world they were very pure and simple, but lost their identity along the way and became what they shouldn’t have become. I wish the world to know me by my calmness and humbleness, by my will to be making no trouble for others, by my devotion to music, playing violin, viola, and guitar, composing, writing books, painting, and seeking peace through all of this.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I was born in Tabriz, where I spent early 17 years of my life. Tabriz is a historical city. It’s also where Professor Galamian, the famous music pedagogue, was born. And also Professor Yadegarian. Marcopolo talks about this city too. It has interesting museums and beautiful places. It was Tabriz where I found the great music teachers and made good relationships with them. I am fond of its ancient Arg ( a 700-year-old building), Shahgoli (the historical resort of Qajar princes), and its rich culture and language. Once I was invited to play with Tabriz National Orchestra and it provided a chance for me to meet Maestro Ali Salimi. He had a great love for music and his memory is always with the people of Tabriz. At that time, with his orchestra, I played violin and my friend Yahya Ismayilzadeh played flute. It was a great joy working with Maestro Salimi and playing his compositions. Years later, I took my guests to Tabriz many times showing its beautiful historical places to them, like its ancient bazaar which is very picturesque. The evening breezes of the city cools down the heat of summer middays and the fragrance of Petunia flowers fills the air with dreams and joy. Such a clean and memorable city. During my studies in Tabriz music school, there was a music festival in the city in which I and a dear friend were its consistent attendees. Every now and then performers from other countries were invited to this festival, playing classical music pieces. Tabriz also has delicious traditional food, and many attractive cafes and restaurants. Many years ago I wrote “Nostalgia Sonata” in the memory of this city. I remember when I showed its manuscript to my violin teacher, he was surprised, and praised it. He gave me some recommendations for its improvement, which I appreciate. This sonata is consisted of three movements, and is marked by the simplicity and delicacy of my favorite music.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I was brought up in a warm friendly family with cultural interests. Both my mother and father were interested in music and literature. I have kept my father’s poetry notebook to this day, who was fond of philosophy and literature, and my mother’s old violin with which I do my concerts. I can remember my first school where I could find no peace, and I watched children beating each other. I decided not step in and after a few days my caring parents noticed and found a new school which was perfect for me, peaceful and quite cultural. Studying four years there had a big impact on me. I was full of life. After that, when I was wondering how I may move forward in a new place, I discovered music school and I insisted to be enrolled in there. It was a new light to my world. I was taken with music, elegance, tranquility, and the remarkable teachers. Until today I always owe my success to that music school. My violin teacher was an indescribably great man, and so many other distinguished people were among our teachers. I’m so grateful for all that I learned from them. Sadly many of them are not alive now. I grew up among music, art lessons, books, paintings, the smell of rosin, and the fragrance of violin polish. I started knowing classical music and many invaluable thoughts. I developed my skills by learning how to act with the rhythm and order of life, which was already broken by the society. Our teachers were people of principle who addressed humanity, and were the pillars of our community. Despite their fame, they were so modest and friendly, working hard to nurture their students and help them improve as much as possible. I will always be grateful for their works. I found the oxygen for my professional life. By devoting myself to a defined discipline, I found my unique capacities. And realized that an artist is a person with deep sensitivity and awareness about the world they live in, with special abilities for transmitting their awareness to the others by using forms, sounds, and symbols, in order to impress their community and their fans. What distinguishes an artist from others is that they wish to love greatly. Every music teacher that I met later were so special people. I was constantly coming upon excellence and from each person I learned a lot, and found out that an artist can not create without possessing a strong emotional system. That is the difference between science and art. In the science world the creator transmits the created content to the others without emotional requirements, while in art waves of emotion, passion, imagination, and fantasy are in work, and that’s how art continues to live. I remember reading about the life of one of my music teachers years after his death. He was sent to Germany by his family to study medicine. But he returned 20 years later not as a doctor, but as a great violinist, since he had chosen to study academic music as soon as he had arrived in Germany. He was so humble that no one could imagine how much he has achieved in music. While in another case, I know someone who cheated to study medicine, while originally he was sent to Vienna to study music. Only because he thought he could make more money by becoming a doctor than a musician.

Website: https://www.sol-philharmonic.com

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Bahman Mehabadi