TEHRAN, Iran: Aficionados of Western classical music have carved out a niche for themselves in Iran, where cultural expression remains tightly controlled by strict rules imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
And perhaps surprisingly, musicians in their 20s and 30s perform for overwhelmingly young audiences.
This week, the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, including female musicians in burgundy headscarves on cello, horn and harp, played works by 19th-century Russian composers for an enraptured crowd in the capital’s main concert venue, Vahdat Hall.
A major draw is Shahrdad Rohani, 65, the orchestra’s charismatic music director. The Iranian-American composer, musician and conductor who has led orchestras in the United States and Europe, said he is proud of his homegrown crop of young musicians.
Classical music may not have mass appeal, but Rohani said in a backstage interview that there’s potential for growth, citing a large turnout during a stadium concert last year in Abadan, a provincial city in southwestern Iran.
“Classical music is growing, and as you see, the audience, they are really supporting the arts and classical music,” he told The Associated Press during the intermission of Wednesday’s sold-out concert.
In four decades of conservative Islamic rule, the space for artistic expression in Iran has expanded or contracted, depending on whether political hard-liners or moderates prevail.
In the first decade after the Islamic Revolution, including the eight-year war with Iraq, pop music disappeared from the public sphere, said Nima Mina of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
The Tehran Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1933, continued its work after 1979, he said. Live performances were initially rare, but have increased in number since the 1990s.
Even during periods of eased controls, red lines are enforced.
This includes a ban on female singers performing for mixed audiences, considered “haram,” or religiously forbidden. In February, female guitarist Negin Parsa sang a solo during a concert by pop singer Hamid Askari. The authorities cut her microphone, and Askari’s permission to perform was briefly suspended.
A music cafe in downtown Tehran complies with the ban on female singers during live shows, but not when playing records. On a recent afternoon, a blues recording featuring a soulful female vocalist played in the background, as customers sipped coffee and smoked cigarettes.
“Authorities rarely challenge the playing of recorded music in the cafe, and mainly argue about the hijab issue,” said waitress Nillofar Dailami, 29, referring to the headscarf all Iranian women are required to wear. Dailami also professed a love for classical music as a result of her study of guitar.
These days, the influence of hard-liners appears on the upswing again as moderates find themselves on the defensive because of the seeming collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal they negotiated with world powers.
The US walked away from the deal a year ago, instead embarking on a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, including unprecedented economic sanctions.
The sanctions have hurt ordinary Iranians, sending prices for staples and consumer goods soaring and weakening the local currency, while raising the specter of war with the US
For Tehran music lovers, events like Wednesday’s concert on the main national stage next to the Russian Embassy offers a momentary escape from reality.
“It is little moments that build up your life in the end,” said Shafa Sabeti, a 36-year-old architect whose business has suffered as the result of the economic downturn linked to the US sanctions. “Public spaces have gotten more crowded recently. People are just living the moment — maybe it’s some coping mechanism.”
Yet tensions and fear of escalation are a “major big black cloud hovering over the country,” he said.
Wednesday’s concert featured works by Russian composers Alexander Borodin, Sergey Rachmaninov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The audience was entranced.
There was no fidgeting or coughing. A young couple in the balcony held hands. A woman nearby recorded the concert on her iPhone. Rohani, the conductor, was greeted by loud applause and addressed the crowd several times, including announcing details about an upcoming concert.
“I love the work of Rohani,” said concert-goer Ali Reza, 26, who was introduced to classical music by learning to play the piano. He said most of his friends prefer other styles of music, including rock and pop.
Some said there’s a generational divide, with older people tending to prefer traditional Iranian music.
“There is a lot of interest in Western culture among the young urban middle class population,” said Mina, portraying it as pushback against the lifestyle and artistic expression promoted by the authorities.
He said that since the 1940s, Tehran’s music conservatory has provided a steady supply of musicians, including those who later join the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.
One of the graduates of the conservatory, violinist Ed Nekoo, spent 10 years in the Los Angeles area but returned home to care for his mother.
He said he misses the exchange with peers abroad and complained of the lack of foreign music teachers.
“We have to learn the music by ourselves,” said Nekoo, 44.
Still, he’s optimistic.
“Our audience is so young,” he said. “That’s what I like about classical music.”
At Tehran symphony, music lovers seek escape from reality
At Tehran symphony, music lovers seek escape from reality
- The Tehran Symphony Orchestra this week played works by 19th-century Russian composers in the capital’s main concert venue, Vahdat Hall
- Classical music may not have mass appeal, but there’s potential for growth
Video of Lebanese PM mistaking aide for Italy’s Giorgia Meloni goes viral
- Mikati greets aide, gives her a peck on each cheek at Beirut Airport
- Online users make fun over the blunder, some accusing him of embarrassing Lebanon
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati was the victim of an innocent gaffe on Wednesday when he mistook an assistant for Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and gave her a peck on the cheek at Beirut Airport.
In a short video that went viral across social media on Wednesday and Thursday, Mikati was shown waiting on the tarmac during a welcome reception as Meloni’s plane arrived in Beirut.
Media reports identified the aide as Patrizia Scurti, who had disembarked from the plane ahead of the Italian leader.
Mikati approached Scurti, who was carrying two bags, and gave her a handshake and a peck on each cheek. He then turned, wanting to accompany her on the red carpet toward the airport’s main building, when one of his aides informed him about the blunder.
Mikati then turned back toward the staircase and went to welcome Meloni, who had stepped out from the plane. He greeted her with a handshake and kissed her on each cheek.
The video triggered social media uproar as the Lebanese prime minister was subject to mockery and criticism online. Online users joked about the blunder, with some accusing him of embarrassing Lebanon and the Lebanese.
A source close to the prime minister’s office told Arab News on Thursday that it was an “honest mistake” and did not warrant “that much unneeded sarcasm or mockery across social media.”
The source, who requested anonymity, added: “Anybody who watches the video would realize how much the two women look alike.”
As part of her short trip to Lebanon, Meloni on Thursday inspected the Italian contingent at the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, in the south of the country, and thanked the troops for their services.
India’s biggest election loser ready to fight again
- K. Padmarajan, a 65-year-old tire repair shop owner, failed 238 times in his bid for public office, but he vows to fight on
- His one victory has been to earn a place as India’s most unsuccessful candidate in the Limca Book of Records
METTUR, India: Despite failing 238 times in his bid for public office in India, K. Padmarajan is unperturbed as he prepares, yet again, to contest elections in the world’s largest democracy.
The 65-year-old tire repair shop owner began fighting elections in 1988 from his hometown of Mettur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
People laughed when he threw his hat into the ring, but he said he wanted to prove that an ordinary man can take part.
“All candidates seek victory in elections,” said Padmarajan, sporting a bright shawl draped over his shoulder and an imposing walrus moustache. “Not me.”
For him, the victory is in participating, and when his defeat inevitably comes, he is “happy losing,” he said.
This year, in India’s six-week-long general elections that begin on April 19, he is contesting a parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.
Popularly dubbed the “Election King,” Padmarajan has competed across the country in elections ranging from presidential to local polls.
Over the years he has lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former premiers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, and Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi.
‘It is about involvement’
“Victory is secondary,” he said. “Who is the opposite candidate? I do not care.”
Padmarajan’s main preoccupation now is extending his losing streak.
It has not come cheap — he estimates he has spent thousands of dollars in more than three decades of nomination fees.
That includes a security deposit of 25,000 rupees ($300) for his latest tilt, which will not be refunded unless he wins more than 16 percent of the vote.
His one victory has been to earn a place as India’s most unsuccessful candidate in the Limca Book of Records, the country’s archive of records held by Indians.
Padmarajan’s best performance was in 2011, when he stood for the assembly elections in Mettur. He won 6,273 votes — compared to more than 75,000 for the eventual victor.
“I did not even expect one vote,” he said. “But it showed that people are accepting me.”
In addition to his tire repair shop, Padmarajan provides homoeopathic remedies and works as an editor for local media.
But among all his jobs, fighting elections was the most important, he said.
“It is about involvement,” he said. “People hesitate to put in their nominations. So I want to be a role model, to create awareness.”
‘Failure is best’
Padmarajan maintains detailed records of the nomination papers and identity cards from each of his failed bids for statesmanship, all laminated for safekeeping.
Each bears the multitude of campaign symbols he has used; a fish, ring, hat, telephone and, this time, tires.
Once the subject of ridicule, Padmarajan is now asked to address students about resilience, using his campaigns to explain how to bounce back from defeat.
“I do not think of winning — failure is best,” he said. “If we are in that frame of mind, we do not get stressed.”
Padmarajan’s lesson in democracy comes at a time when public support for India’s clamorous democratic process appears to be waning.
A February survey by the Pew Research Center found 67 percent of Indians thought that a strong leader unencumbered by parliament or the courts was a better system of government than representative democracy — up from 55 percent in 2017.
Rights groups also say that democracy has become increasingly illiberal under Modi, with several criminal probes into opposition party leaders making this year’s election appear increasingly one-sided.
Padmarajan said it was important, now more than ever, that every citizen of the country exercise their franchise.
“It is their right, they should cast their votes, in that respect there is no winning or losing,” he said.
Padmarajan said he will continue to fight elections until his last breath — but would be shocked were he ever to win.
“I will have a heart attack,” he laughed.
Creature named Kermit the Frog offers clues on amphibian evolution
- Scientists described the fossilized skull of a creature called Kermitops gratus that lived in what is now Texas about 270 million years ago
- Amphibians are one of the four groups of living terrestrial vertebrates, along with reptiles, birds and mammals
WASHINGTON: There definitely were no muppets during the Permian Period, but there was a Kermit — or at least a forerunner of modern amphibians that has been named after the celebrity frog.
Scientists on Thursday described the fossilized skull of a creature called Kermitops gratus that lived in what is now Texas about 270 million years ago. It belongs to a lineage believed to have given rise to the three living branches of amphibians — frogs, salamanders and limbless caecilians.
While only the skull — measuring around 1.2 inches (3 cm) long — was discovered, the researchers think Kermitops had a stoutly built salamander-like body roughly 6-7 inches (15-18 cm) long, though salamanders would not evolve for another roughly 100 million years.
Amphibians are one of the four groups of living terrestrial vertebrates, along with reptiles, birds and mammals. The unique features of the Kermitops skull — a blend of archaic and more advanced features — are providing insight into amphibian evolution.
“Kermitops helps us understand the early history of amphibians by revealing there isn’t a clear trend of step by step becoming more like the modern amphibian,” said Calvin So, a George Washington University paleontology doctoral student and lead author of the study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
The fossil was collected in 1984 near Lake Kemp in Texas and kept in the expansive collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, but was not thoroughly studied until recently.
Kermitops had a rounded snout, not unlike frogs and salamanders. Preserved in its eye sockets were palpebral bones — or eyelid bones — a feature absent in today’s amphibians. Its skull is constructed of roof-like bones, in contrast to the thin and strut-like bones of modern amphibians.
“The length of the skull in front of the eyes is longer than the length of the skull behind the eyes, which differs from the other fossil amphibians living at the same time. We think this might have allowed Kermitops to snap its jaws closed faster, enabling capture of fast insect prey,” So said.
The fossil record of early amphibians and their forerunners is spotty, making it difficult to figure out the origins of modern amphibians.
“Kermitops, with its unique anatomy, really exemplifies the importance of continuing to add new fossil data to understanding this evolutionary problem,” said National Museum of Natural History paleontologist and study co-author Arjan Mann.
Kermit the Frog was created by the late American puppeteer Jim Henson in 1955, and a Kermit puppet made in the 1970s is in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as an important cultural object.
Kermitops means “Kermit face,” a nod to the muppet’s humorous look.
“We thought that the eyelid bones gave the fossil a bug-eyed look, and combined with a lopsided smile produced by slight crushing during the preservation of the fossil, we really thought it looked like Kermit the Frog,” So said.
Kermitops belonged to a group called temnospondyls that arose a few tens of millions of years after the first land vertebrates evolved from fish ancestors. The biggest temnospondyls superficially resembled crocodiles, including two that each were around 20 feet (6 meters) in length, Prionosuchus and Mastodonsaurus.
Temnospondyls are considered the progenitor lineage of modern amphibians, Mann said.
Kermitops existed about 20 million years before the worst mass extinction in Earth’s history and about 40 million years before the first dinosaurs. It lived alongside other members of the amphibian lineage as well as the impressive sail-backed Dimetrodon, a predator related to the mammalian lineage.
The environment in which Kermitops lived appears to have alternated between warm and humid seasons and hot and arid seasons.
“This environment would be similar to modern-day monsoons that take place in the Southwest US and Southeast Asia,” So said.
Dubai restaurateur apologizes for sharing controversial pro-Israel video
- Vegan restaurant chain owner Emma Sawko faced criticism after sharing video by conservative non-profit PragerU
- Clip claimed Palestinians are brainwashed to hate and desire to become suicide bombers
LONDON: A Dubai restaurateur issued an apology on Wednesday following backlash for sharing a controversial pro-Israel video claiming that Palestinians are brainwashed into embracing violence.
The video has been produced by American nonprofit PragerU, which is known for its conservative viewpoints and which has been labeled a “political propaganda machine.”
Emma Sawko, co-founder of the popular vegan restaurant chain Wild & The Moon and organic cafe Comptoir 102, posted a statement of apology on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
“I am sorry for the post I re-shared,” she wrote. “I was standing by the fact that we must find a way towards peace, and this is the only message I have been meaning to convey.
“I am deeply shaken by the loss of innocent Palestinian lives,” she continued, adding that as the conflict drags, it is increasingly hard to “communicate and find the ways towards peace and dialogue.”
The video, titled “My Life in Israel as an Arab Muslim,” features Sophia Salma Khalifa, described by PragerU as the first Muslim Arab to enroll in the Israeli army’s Atuda program in electrical engineering.
Khalifa, now residing in the US, made several controversial claims in the clip, including allegations that Palestinians are brainwashed to hate and that a childhood friend expressed a desire to become a suicide bomber.
The video is part of a series called “Stories of Us,” produced by PragerU to promote American values and offer an alternative to what they perceive as left-wing ideology.
PragerU has faced criticism for disseminating misinformation on topics like climate change and for its denial of historical events like slavery, drawing concerns from rights groups.
Sawko is not the only restaurateur to face backlash over social media posts.
Over the weekend, Bahrain-based Italian-Canadian chef Susy Massetti issued an apology after questioning on social media whether many Palestinians were starving due to Israel’s restriction of aid.
In a series of videos posted online, Massetti expressed deep regret for her comments, clarifying that there was “no malicious intent.”
Similarly, New York City restaurant owner Keith McNally faced criticism in October for sharing what appeared to be a pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian post on social media.
Finland world’s happiest country again, Kuwait ranks 13: study
- Sharpest decline in happiness since 2006-10 was noted in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan
HELSINKI: Finland remained the world’s happiest country for a seventh straight year in an annual UN sponsored World Happiness Report published on Wednesday.
And Nordic countries kept their places among the 10 most cheerful, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, stayed at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.
For the first time since the report was published more than a decade ago, the United States and Germany were not among the 20 happiest nations, coming in 23rd and 24th respectively.
In turn, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 at 12 and 13.
The report noted the happiest countries no longer included any of the world’s largest countries.
“In the top 10 countries only the Netherlands and Australia have populations over 15 million. In the whole of the top 20, only Canada and the UK have populations over 30 million.”
The sharpest decline in happiness since 2006-10 was noted in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan, while the Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases.
The happiness ranking is based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki in Finland, told AFP that Finns’ close connection to nature and healthy work-life balance were key contributors to their life satisfaction.
In addition, Finns may have a “more attainable understanding of what a successful life is,” compared to for example the United States where success is often equated with financial gain, she said.
Finns’ strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption and free health care and education were also key.
“Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and high level of autonomy,” De Paola said.
This year’s report also found that younger generations were happier than their older peers in most of the world’s regions — but not all.
In North America, Australia and New Zealand, happiness among groups under 30 has dropped dramatically since 2006-10, with older generations now happier than the young.
By contrast, in Central and Eastern Europe, happiness increased substantially at all ages during the same period, while in Western Europe people of all ages reported similar levels of happiness.
Happiness inequality increased in every region except Europe, which authors described as a “worrying trend.”
The rise was especially distinct among the old and in Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting inequalities in “income, education, health care, social acceptance, trust, and the presence of supportive social environments at the family, community and national levels,” the authors said.