TEHRAN – On Friday, the release ceremony for the “Peter and the Wolf” music album was held at Naseri Hall at the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran.
The event was attended by famous composer and veteran orchestra conductor Shahdad Rohani and renowned musician and composer Shahin Farhat.
The album was produced and released by Java Publishing House, based on the story of Little Peter, who captured a wolf trying to eat a duck, with the help of a small bird.
Composed and written by Russian composer and pianist Sergei Prokofiev, the work features translations by Negain Zejkazadeh and Reihane Fakri, conducted by Shahdad Rohani and performed by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, narrated by Iranian voice actor George Petrosi. The story is narrated in a musical storytelling style, with each character being introduced through the voices of a particular instrument.
Performances include Shahram Rokui (Flute), Arian Qeitasi (Oboe), Minli Danelyan (Clarinet), Alireza Motevaseli (Bassoon), Farshad Sheikhi, Siamak Mirdadian, Fatemeh Yousefi-Nejad, Leila Bazeghi (Hornadreza (Timpani), and Kaveh Mirhosseini and Armin Kheirdan (Percussion).
During the event, Shadad Rohani expressed his gratitude for his warm welcome, highlighting its importance in the fight against artistic vulgarity among artists and cultural practitioners, and invited musicians, publishers, sculptors, filmmakers and all creatives to produce meaningful works.
Rohani further emphasized that the album marked the first classical music production at the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, expressing hope for a similar future project that will showcase the works of great Iranian and international composers.
Luhani also thanked Ali Akbar Safipur, former CEO of the Rudaki Foundation, and all the artists involved in the production, and all the contributors are Iranian artists and he feels very valuable.
Shahin Farhat also shared his excitement about the audience’s enthusiastic response, saying, “I lived in Iran for many years and never imagined that music would be so popular here. It really reflects the taste, passion and deep sense of Iranian people.”
He discussed the value of classical music, saying, “Like all music, classical music has value. It is rooted in the culture of people. Iran is a land of poetry, and poetry is intertwined with music. Despite living abroad, I rarely sing poetry. Its melodic and rhythmic nature affects composers all over the world.”
Farhat further emphasized the importance of live music performances and criticised the overuse of microphones in concerts that degrade the reliability of live sound.
He urged conductors, musicians and performers to dedicate some of the programme to Iranian compositions, particularly to works by younger Iranian composers.
The event ended with a piano performance by Shadad Rohani. Additional segments included motion graphic presentations and video clips on the creation of “Peter and the Wolves” along with performances of the Persian Gulf string quartet led by Amingafari.
Photo: Shadad Rohani, a well-known Iranian composer and veteran orchestra conductor, was released at the Peter and the Wolf music album held at the Iranian Artist Forum in Tehran on May 30, 2025.
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