January 09, 2009
Nezami Ganjavi - Museum of Azerbaijan's Literary Greats
On my way to Baku, I had a hunch that something was in the air; something was about to happen, I was about to face a phenomenon that I had never experienced before. Two hours and forty five minutes of flying over my country…I can feel the meaning of bewilderment in my heart and soul, and I do not take my eyes off of my land’s exhausted landscape for a second.
Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Esfehan…
I open the wings of my imagination so that it can fly wherever its little heart desires. Strange times we live in! Once, when I was in Iran, I was struggling to get out, now, outside of my country, it is allowed to go anywhere but home.
Now , we are flying over Tehran, the skies are gloomy and cloudy, the flickering of the little lights are nowhere to be seen, but through these dark and heavy clouds, I can clearly see what goes on in the streets of my land, those alleys brimming with the sweet memories of my childhood and youth.
I have an inexplicable feeling; a part of me is still lingering in this land.
I remember a beautiful poem by Hamid Mossadegh:
Are you listening my beloved?
Do not wish upon a cloud
Do not wish upon rainless clouds
Clouds that are nowhere in sight
If there is any ambition, it lies within you and I
In this drought stricken desert
We can find water in the heart of stones
I find myself lost in my memories, the back alleys of Tehran, the distant memories, the sweet recollections, the failures, bewilderments, infatuations, the bitter sweet times, the unforgettable moments, the silent but oh, so grand memories, souvenirs of the good old times before this strange migration to a foreign land,
So long as the lights are off in my land,
The world turns in mourning,
As rosebud’s blood is dripping from the seconds
As the young carcasses pass through the night…
Dariush
January 6, 2009
Press Conference With Baku’s Media
Comments (3)
January 08, 2009
After four years of anticipation, Dariush’s new album, “ The Silent Miracle” will be released on January 15, 2009 through DBM Enterprises, established by Dariush himself. A look back at the history of the world of Art in our country depicts repetitive and continuous destructive blows to this entity, especially in the music industry, through abuse, carelessness, censorship, filtering and corruption in the industries in charge of the distribution and sale of music in our society, and artists have been witnessing the pillage of their creations for years.
Dariush is one of the very few artists, who has always been dedicated to his goals, his constructive objectives, and his responsibilities towards his country and his people, not only in his artistic endeavors, but also in his humanitarian deeds. He has always sought to create an avenue for his values and his legacy to present life’s realities and truths to his people. In “The Silent Miracle” once again, Dariush has managed to break the barriers and present us directly, with another one of his magnificent creations, which speaks of our sentiments, our needs, our plight and the realities of our lives.
Javanan: Tell us about the birth of “DBM Enterprises” and why it took four years to put an end to the anticipation of your fans?
Dariush: As you mentioned earlier, for years, those in charge of handling the distribution and sale of music have only tried to use greed, thirst for power and financial gain to direct their every move, and the spiritual and artistic values of our artistic creations have been abused, overlooked and destroyed in the process. This time, by establishing “DBM Enterprises” I have tried to go beyond this third party, and directly present the fruit of over three years of hard work to my fans. I tried to create a mélange of love songs and messages of hope, so as to take you through a journey of life’s realities, and encourage you to revive the power to mend each other’s wounds and create a better and brighter tomorrow.
Javanan: I will try to present my questions by the inspiration that the titles of the tracks have given me. What motivated you to call the album “The Silent Miracle”? What were the thoughts behind picking the songs?
Dariush: The inherent message in almost all the songs speaks of that power and that energy that is deep within each and every one of us, in the deepest corners of our heart and soul, which is ready to be revived. That miracle that we all cradle in our being, but most of us is quite unaware of its presence. That miracle that will give us the incentive to live instead of just struggle to survive. For example, the song called “Chess” speaks of a society that has lived under suppression and tyranny for so long that it has forgotten its own abilities and powers, a society that has been living in exile within the confines of its own land, and has forgotten that the individual’s freedom and human rights is directly tied to the freedom and rights of the mass. This song invites each and every one of us to a national truce with ourselves, and reminds us that freedom does not belong to you, it does not belong to me, it belongs to ALL of us. We have a choice, we can chose to either be played, or take the reigns of our destiny and play the game of life triumphantly. We are the nation that presented the declaration of human rights to the world, and we are the ones who have to set the chess pieces of our lives where we chose and where they belong, by knowing and being aware of our individual rights. Loving and living life to the fullest only grows in a society where freedom, justice and security are alive and well and protected. Achieving freedom is not easy, it has a price, but we are the ones that have to change our vision and evaluate our priorities and fight to make the dream of being free come to fruition.
Javanan: So then the message of the song “Calendar” is within the same realm as the song called “Chess”?
Dariush: Exactly, “Calendar” is a look back at our history, the history of a society who has lived for centuries with superstitions and religious fanaticisms, which have blinded our sight and have confused and perplexed our thought process, and imprisoned our sentiments and feelings. This in turn has incarcerated our abilities to act constructively and to fight for what is rightfully ours. This song invites the listener to look beyond the fears and misgivings into the future, and look at life through different colored lenses. There is no other way, the problem and the solution lie within us. We have to free ourselves from being slaves of this slow journey towards the abyss; we have to overlook the attempts of all those entities that are brain washing us with superstitions and fanaticism. We have to break those imaginary barriers and start building our lives, instead of passively putting up with what we are deceitfully told is our only option.
The song called “The Hour of Doom” also tells the story of the dark hours of the history of our nation’s fight for freedom, and what has caused us to witness a repetitive outcome of being suspended in time, without ever reaching the desired destination. Why should this repetition be futile or tragic? Are we dealing with the repetition of history or the repetition of mistakes? Is it really history repeating itself, or are we witnessing a history of repetitions?
On the other hand, in the song called “Nightglow” we are reminded of the grand realities that we constantly overlook. This song invites every single one of us, from every background, religion, sex or age to first acknowledge our own power, and enrich our individual abilities by complementing it with the abilities of the mass, and never forget that it is the light of this inner power that lies within us that will guide us through the dark tunnels of our struggles.
The song “Homesick” speaks of the bewilderment and distresses that have attacked our society like a plague. It tells the story of those individuals who are struggling with their pain in exile and go through life harboring these afflictions , and have allowed the minor details to perpetually distort the realities of life so much that it has distanced us from ourselves. In those times when I am trying to mend my own bewilderments, I think of the fact that just like night and day, just like the seasons, just like the ocean which is at times calm and at times roaring, I have to come to terms with my own soul’s ups and downs and try to create an equilibrium so as to achieve calm and peace of mind in life.
Javanan: It appears that this album is a mélange of love and hope?
Dariush: That’s right, I believe that art is a bridge between sentiments and logic; it is a perpetual source of our yearning for affection and is a soothing healer to our wounded soul. It is our love, our disposition and our generosity that revive our motivation to live. I recorded the song “soul mate” in Paris and gifted it to my wife, the songs “The Song of Angels” and “The Image of a Dream” are also in celebration of the magnificent power of love which I hope lives in every single one of us.
And finally, as I have dedicated the song “Gole Bita” to my daughter, the song “On a Journey” is a message to my son, Milad. I have learned the virtue of patience through raising my children, and I always seek to listen to them, in addition to sharing life’s experiences with them. Experience is the best teacher, if you are willing to be a good student. As in the song “Gole Bita” I share life’s ups and downs and ironies with my daughter, the goal behind the song “On a Journey” is to depict the legacy of a father to his son.
Javanan: Who holds the key to the survival of Iranian music and the future of Iranian art?
Dariush: it is in mine, yours and the hands of our nation. It has been told time and again that after silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. Art has always been dedicated to the people and has always addressed the needs of the people. In the course of history, art, in every shape, way or form, from the art of painting to poetry, music, theater and movies, has played an integral and essential part in the world, and artists have played a key role in historic events. Let us just take a moment and imagine a scenario where Iranians did not have access to music, paintings and poetry. How would we deal with this lack of soul food? What other entity would we have used to substitute for it to mend the wounds of our soul? Hasn’t music and art been our only soul mate, healer and friend? Hasn’t art and music been our only source of self help and self discovery? Our artistic society is an abused and wounded entity, and the key to its survival is in the hands of each and every one of us, as well as in the hands of all those who are in charge and responsible to protect the rights of artists and artistic creations.
Let us heal the wounds of our healer.
Comments (0)
January 06, 2009
I love the silent miracle, because it was created with love...
I love the silent miracle, because its creators are its true owners...
I love the silent miracle, because in a tiny store, it faces a grand Country and kind souls who will support it wholeheartedly with all their might...
Dariush
Comments (3)
