Ever since I was a young boy I always dreamed of expanding my knowledge and skill of classical guitar outside of Iran because I felt that resources are limited here. But before I left, I always tried to not miss any opportunities available here and made it a personal task to learn everything I could.

{Mehrdad Pakbaz} was eventually able to realize his dream. He is a graduate of Performance and Pedagogy and is now teaching music in Vienna. His deep interest in the tradition of Iranian music as well as his determination to study the principles of western classical music are notable. I knew him and I when I learnt that he was also going to Tehran for the summer vacation, I asked him to share his experience with TehranAvenue reader. He generously accepted to do so.

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How were you able to keep up with classical music currents before going to Vienna?

PAKBAZ: I used the few tapes, score sheets, and, of late, videos that were available in iran. I even participated in short training seminars being held here by European masters. A year before I left for Austria, I met professor {Leo Witoszynskyj} at IRAN-AUSTRIA Cultural and Artistic Society who helped me and others by opening our minds to fresh ideas and by making us realize them. Also, keeping in touch with the (said) center kept me hopeful.

Leaving Iran

My main objective was a more thorough understanding of the instrument and better familiarity with Western musical heritage. Of course I had been made familiar with the history of Western art, but you cannot learn about music from books. You have to see it from up close, to live it, you have to be in the environment.

Undoubtedly you had some trepidations at first.

PAKBAZ: Exactly. I always asked myself whether the decision to leave was sound. Whether I would be able to deal with challenges the new environment posed? Would I be able to pass this critical test? I didn’t think I could survive for seven years.

Tell us about these seven years, your previous expectations and what helped you succeed.

PAKBAZ: The thing that has always helped me is a sense of perfectionism and dedication to music. I think it has even helped me stay honest with myself. When you know what’s behind a wall, that you don’t match certain standards, you have to be strong enough not to fool yourself. In Iran, you may be very respected among your students and peers and this may keep you satisfied. Every artist loves to have an audience. But as soon as you sense that this relationship is not based on reality, you have to stop the lie. A musician has only two options: to keep lying to him/herself and enjoying it in the process or go after truth.

By "going after truth," here, you mean leaving Iran?

PAKBAZ: To learn about Western music, yes. But I had the privilege to realize this opportunity. Had I not had it, I would have some how found another way to pursue my dream. When I see my old friends here I notice that they too have progressed, but this is not true about everyone and is dependent on the person and the opportunities available to him/her.

Iranian Music

What I knew to be true was that I was Iranian, and that Iranian music is acknowledged, in the sense that it is the birthplace of many other forms of music. I had studied Iranian music in the past. I had studied setar with {Hossein Alizadeh} for a short period and later with {Darius Talai}. So I always respected this music and used it as the raw material for my compositions. Ultimately I realized that if I learn this music, which runs through my veins, through it I can even understand Western music better, probably contrary to what most Iranians feel.

Further more, I tried to incorporate the sensibilities that I had learned from studying Western music into my Iranian music and compositions. The more I learned about classical music, the more I found new weaknesses in myself which I had to overcome and this also helped my progress.

You must have faced a variety of challenges.

I fact I faced a sort of academic frustration, because what I was after I could not find in the university. Guitar, in its modern form, does not have a deep root in the artistic history of Austria because it was introduced there only a hundred years ago. My acquaintance with {Arnoldo Moreno}, a Venezuelan master, helped me find the answers to many of my questions and enter a new stage of my artistic life. Arnoldo was a student of the famous composer {Antonio Lauro}, himself a student of {Alirio Diaz}. He started his musical training at the age of 14, in conditions similar to what we experience in Iran, meaning that instead of using score sheets, he used his ears and tapes. These limitations in fact helped him be a much more perceptive musician.

In other words, a true musician should not be too dependent on notes and scores, because it can confuse his/her musical imagination. For example we know that in different periods of musical history there have been varied dependencies and interpretations placed on scores sheets and the way musical scores were written down. A true musician can never rely only on what he sees written down.

Arnoldo was an important influence on me because he too had faced paradoxes is Austria, despite being himself a truly talented player. He too had decided to stay away from the clichéd environment of Europeanart scene, and so he could understand me better. Through this mutual feeling we grew closer together. He helped me understand the guitar better and speeded up my progress and also strengthened my sense of creativity. He taught me how to approach the instrument, if I were to add something new to it. The guitar, being an accompanying instrument, requires a thorough understanding of the concepts of harmony, and compositions that are in this way written, have that accompanying role in mind. Ultimately, this was a point of departure that I reached after two years.

You were simultaneously enrolled in two university programs, performing and teaching the guitar. Wasn’t this too difficult?

PARKBAZ: Certainly it was difficult. In general, performing is considered one of the most demanding subjects in the Vienna Academy, and that’s why the diploma is so respected. In this academy you have to exert yourself, or you will fail. At the same time, I was pursuing another degree in teaching the instrument, which has also its own complexities since without it you cannot really teach anywhere in Europe.

Was it important to your teachers that your compositions were based on your own native music?

PARKBAZ: Not only was it not considered important, but I think they were totally un-impressed, or maybe even jealous, because there really is no significant Austrian musical heritage to speak of, whereas our music has hundreds of very old scales and modes and a compilation of national instruments and a variety of folk musical styles so that if one decides to concentrate on only one of them, one can draw on a rich source.

Do you think it is important for an Iranian musician to be familiar with Western classical music?

PARKBAZ: This is an interesting question. I think familiarity with classical music requires an awareness of the cultural and historical surroundings that gave birth to it. If you choose to spend a lifetime on classical music, it is crucial that you also study the aesthetic concepts that were used in its creation. I think classical music resembles a language, such as English, since it is an international tool for communication. So a pianist can write pieces for this instrument that are based on the classical language. An Iranian instrument does not provide the means for her to have a worldwide audience, or even to introduce her own culture through an Iranian instrument. So it is the grasp of this language that we need, not a mere familiarity with a Western instrument. Unfortunately, the ignorance surrounding this language can pass from one generation to the next, resulting, ultimately, in artificiality, meaning that the performer has no understanding of the language of the instrument being played. For example, if you aim to gain an understanding of a certain folk music, you cannot do so without taking into consideration the indigenous culture and historical facts. Or take into consideration the Iranian classical music, whose methods were organized and transcribed during the QAJAR period, an effort that started during the SAFAVID. If you understand this story fully, and realize how a certain king’s opinions and taste was reflected in the music we play today, certainly this will strengthen your performance of that piece. If you don’t understand the language, literature or history of this country, how can you possibly be able to grasp the nuances of this music?By the same token, if you wishes to understand Western classical music, you have to study the facts surrounding its culture, history and geography.

So, if you have to be in a particular environment to understand or learn its music, what can someone who does not have this opportunity do to gain this knowledge?

PARKBAZ: I think such an individual should do whatever is possible to further her progress. She can enroll in various classes, some of them very good, that are held right here. Or do something regarding her work environment, similar to what you [Naghmeh Taqizadeh] are doing right now. You are performing an interview that may create an awareness regarding the artistic environment in Europe.

To some extent, one can use other people’s experiences, but some paths will have to be walked in person. Western thought and its philosophy of art need to be studied, but this can be done anywhere. Art becomes timeless through an expansion of vision and understanding of it, just as in the manner in which a certain performed piece is far more important than the degree of precision applied. People who have learned about European culture can help to bring these two worlds closer and satisfy the thirst of those who want to learn or are thinking about going to Europe to study. I think that our young people are well aware of the challenges before them and are trying to expand their vision in any way possible. But they need help and guidance in finding their way. They need to hear that they are taking the right steps, so they are motivated to go further.

What do you recommend to people who want to study music?

PARKBAZ: I have already mentioned the importance of understanding a culture before its artistic legacies, such as musical instruments, can be made use of properly. That’s why technical rehearsals have to be accompanied with an effort to understand the artistic point of view and historical development of its culture. To use a musical instrument without comprehending the surrounding artistic history that has produced it will only result in a mechanical imitation.

My recommendation is to pay attention to the fundamental topics, such as rhythm and phrasing which have their counterparts in Iranian music. I don’t think that learning an Iranian instrument or music alongside Western music and instruments is a waste of time. This will prepare the student to take better advantage of any learning opportunities by asking the teacher related questions that provide a deeper understanding. Finally, it is not the number of CDs, DVDs, score sheets, books and internet sites that we have in our collection, but a deep, analytical understanding of their content that will determine our success in taking advantage of them.

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Biography

Born October 1973

1987: Started music with {Dariush Abolhassani} and {Henrik Eivazian}.
1993: Cooperation with the Iran-Austria Cultural and Artistic Society and accompaniment with its newly formed orchestra led by Thomas Christian David, performing several concertos for guitar and orchestra by {Vivaldi}.
1986-92: Attending music theory courses offered by {Mehran Rohani}; continuing with performances at the Iran-Austria Cultural and Artistic Society and other official music groups in Tehran as a solo player or with an ensemble; introducing works inspired by Iranian music.
1995-96: Obtaining Performance Degree and Grade Eight Certification from Trinity College of London.
1996: Performing select Renaissance and Baroque pieces in Tehran's Protestant Church and the Iran-Austria Cultural and Artistic Society with Ariamusica Ensemble.
1997-2005: Completing music education in Austria at the Music and Performing Arts University of Vienna under professor Walter Wuerdinger, majoring in Gitarre Konzertfach and Pedagogy; performing in various concerts in the university and in neighboring countries, introducing influences in Iranian music.
2005: Graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Konzert Fach.

Snippets
1. Track 01: Khorasan (Slowakei, 2003)
2. Track 02: Bam 1 (Vienna, 2004)
3. Track 03: Bam 2
4. Track 04: Dialogue (Tehran, 2001, with Hossein Hamidi)
5. Track 05: Flight (Slowakei, 2003)