Turnout Unprecedented for Marzieh In California's Iranian Community

By Ali Parsa

The concert by Marzieh, first lady of Persian music, at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 30 was a major event, both artistically and politically, and had a tremendous impact on the lives and emotions of Iranians in exile. In my 20 years in the United States, I have never witnessed such a coming together of the Iranian-American community. The size and the mixture of the crowd, and the unbelievable performance of Marzieh who, at the age of 71, stunned both those who had lived with her magical voice throughout their lives and those who were hearing her live for the first time, were unique. The diva of Persian music, who had kept silent for 15 years under the rule of the mullahs, had joined the National Council of Resistance, to become a prominent voice in the most serious and powerful opposition to the forces of ignorance and repression now ruling Iran.

The diversity of the audience was amazing. Iranians from widely differing socio-economic and political backgrounds, age groups and religious affiliations, gathered for the first time together in a highly charged but overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere to cherish their shared cultural heritage and recommit themselves to its preservation.

A grandmother had come to bring back the happy memories of her youth and relive her past, just once more. A young medical intern who could barely remember the homeland his family had left 15 years ago brought his Colombian girlfriend for a taste of his culture. There were housewives, political activists, professionals, artists, actors, painters, musicians, writers, businessmen and many more, some of whom had traveled long distances just to be present for this act of affirmation.

Iran's religious minorities also were present in large numbers. A woman representing Jewish Iranians accompanied by a man representing Zoroastrians mounted the stage to greet Marzieh, a Muslim, and her Christian Armenian conductor in the traditional manner, with bouquets of flowers. An Armenian Iranian woman said she had given up hope of ever seeing such a day again, after having been forced to leave her homeland and its rich cultural heritage. A committed supporter of the resistance, his voice shaking with emotion, said his lifelong wish had come true.

Delicacy and Strength

Artistically, Marzieh may have never performed so vibrantly and powerfully. Even those untutored in Persian culture and music were stunned at the delicacy and strength of her voice. Her masterful rendition of many of the more complex styles of classical Persian music revealed her as a true master of her craft. Both grand and symphonic orchestras performed with the Persian classical orchestra, sometimes in beautiful harmony and sometimes separately. The combination was an unforgettable blend which I have heard only from Ravi Shankar. The conductor, famed Iranian musician Shapur Bastansiar, brought about a majestic and inspiring union of the Eastern and Western musical heritages. The great mystic poets of Iran came alive, their timeless and timely message giving voice to the heart's desire of millions of Iranians:

The era of separation is at an end,

Begin the story of familiar things...

Hear it everywhere,

The echo of Hafez of Shiraz,

The world shall be born anew,

A new visage sketched upon the universe...

Oh my heart, it is over, the dark night.

Show your face, oh morning of lights.

There were numerous standing ovations, the crowd rising as if drawn to its feet by forces beyond its control. They cheered the beauty of Marzieh's performance and, above all, her courage. When she cried out in her powerful voice: "It is the duty of every one of us to support the Resistance headed by Maryam Rajavi," the audience exploded in cheers and seemingly endless applause. Someone in the back shouted, "Bravo, Marzieh, bravo for your daring," as she reiterated her determination to speak out for justice and freedom in Iran, and especially against repression of women, for as long as she lives.

Iranians were not the only ones who came to see Marzieh. Many dignitaries, artists, and representatives of members of the U.S. Congress were present. Several read messages of support and tributes to Marzieh at the conclusion of the concert. The city of Los Angeles presented "the diva of Iranian music" with a plaque saluting her "dedication to freedom and devotion to music." The tribute from Mayor Richard Riordan of Los Angeles noted that Marzieh's "15 years of silence in Iran has not gone unrewarded, as you are now able to once again sing to the world."

Representatives of several women's organizations and the human rights community also mounted the stage to welcome Marzieh and present bouquets of flowers. Representatives of many Iranian scholarly and professional organizations, flowers in hand, also expressed their gratitude.

The concert's success was all the more significant in light of a well-orchestrated and well-financed campaign by agents and sympathizers of the current Iranian government to prevent the program from taking place or, at the very least, to disrupt the event itself.

They stopped at nothing, from hiring Los Angeles gang members to vandalize billboards, to making threatening and obscene phone calls to radio and television stations and newspapers which reported or ran ads for the upcoming event. They also sent faxes to the businesses which advertise in those media, and bomb threats to the theater owner. Clearly, Tehran had no intention of tolerating such a gathering, even outside Iran. Happily, the terrorist threats were empty, and the promised groups of demonstrators never materialized, inside or outside the concert hall.

Several organizations, describing themselves as "monarchists," also had pledged to disrupt the gathering and organize a demonstration. To no one's surprise, however, not a single picket or protester appeared, confirming that the organizations, if they exist at all, could not produce rank-and-file members. Instead, there was a report that Iranians as far away as Isfahan, in central Iran, had heard news of the concert with great joy.

Marzieh's performance reflected Persian life and culture, both the glories of the past and the calamity of the present. Her hand-picked selection included some of the most beloved songs of her 50-year career, alongside newer pieces inspired by the resistance and expressing a longing for freedom. At one point, the audience seemed unable to contain itself, and 3,000 voices joined Marzieh in singing the familiar "Moonlight."

Her closing number retold the legend, familiar to every Iranian, of Kaveh-Ahangar, the blacksmith who rose against a tyrannical Persian king many centuries ago. The story is among the most famous in the treasury of Persian literature, the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi. Marzieh's song, however, had a different champion, a woman who would lead Iran to a bright and promising future—Maryam Rajavi. The message was clear, and it had a galvanizing impact on us all.

Ali Parsa, a member of the People's Mojahedin of Iran, is currently a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles.