Archer Records, Memphis, TN

Lily Afshar

September 12, 2009

These Hands Belong to the World

from Iranian.com: Sept. 12, 2009

by Ari Siletz

Lily Afshar will be one of the performers at the iranian.com music festival in San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts on September 26, 2009.

Try mentioning your Iranian background in a circle of cultured American friends. Instead of the usual questions about politics they may ask, “Do you know of Lily Afshar?” This is because Afshar is one of the world’s leading classical guitarists, with remarkable innovations furthering the influence of the instrument.

In fact, someone once asked Afshar herself where she was from. That “someone” was Maestro Andres Segovia, the terrifyingly eminent virtuoso authority on the classical guitar. The setting was a master class held in Los Angeles in 1986. A group of 12 young guitarists had been selected out of hundreds of international competitors vying for the honor of playing in front of the guitar legend, hoping for an approving nod. That simple nod or—God forbid—a shake of the head could begin or end a young artist’s career. If a performer could remain intensely focused on her art, keeping her mind and fingers from going rubbery in front of this ultimate say-so on the classical guitar, she was ready to take command of any audience. To showcase her skills, Afshar had chosen to include Sevilla by Isaac Albeniz—it would be futile to pick a less demanding piece, Segovia would spot artistic timidity before the first measure was played out. During a lyrical passage in Sevilla, the Maestro stopped Afshar. “Where are you from,” he asked.

Afshar is from a musical family. Her grandmother was a tar player, and her father was a violinist and a pianist (as well as pilot and engineer). Her romance with the classical guitar began at the age of ten when she first heard the instrument at a cousin’s house. The very next day her father got her a guitar and signed her up for private lessons, later enrolling her for night classes at the Tehran Conservatory of Music. Afshar remembers very clearly her father giving her instructions in music theory. He was the one who inspired her to aim for an international reputation. “There was nothing his daughter couldn’t do,” says Afshar. “He encouraged me to get to the top of my field and I ended up getting my doctorate and becoming the first woman in the world [italics mine] to get a doctorate in classical guitar performance.” With this degree of parental love and support, it is no wonder that on first hearing a Segovia recording as a child, Afshar said to herself, “If Segovia can do this, I can too.” Years later in 1986, she would sit in the presence of the great master himself, embracing her guitar; ready to show him that she is just as good. And she wasn’t nervous at all. She thought of Segovia as a grandfather. Family!

There is a photo of that event with grandpa Segovia coddling Afshar’s guitar like an infant grandchild. Aptly, Afshar had named her guitar “bambina:” Spanish for little baby girl. The artist, with her dark wavy hair accenting the rural colors of her dress, stands like a proud young mother, while onlookers crane their necks for a view of “bambina.”

Four successful guitar albums and a (recent) DVD later, with a Doctor of Music degree form Florida State University, Afshar now leads her own master classes. As she juggles a busy concert schedule with a professorship at the University of Memphis, she makes time to travel the world sharing her musical knowledge with aspiring future guitarists—it helps that she speaks five languages. During these travels she continues to soak up world cultures, heeding her own advice that a good musician must possess “loads of culture,” as it can be critical to music interpretation. Her concerts and master classes in Iran are always packed. “They love the guitar,” she says. “Everywhere I go, Kerman, Mashad, Shiraz, Tehran, there are youngsters coming to hear good music and to learn.” The problem she is attempting to address in Iranian classical guitar education is the lack of good editions of music with proper fingering. So the educator often carries her own editions in her suitcase. A related problem she has noted is that Iranian guitar students tend to borrow their interpretations from recordings, rarely relying on their own ideas. I think this may also have to do with the student trying to stay on the teacher’s good side. After all, this is how Afshar remembers preparing for that master class with Segovia, “...I knew what kind of things Segovia liked and what kind of musicianship he looked for…” While classroom diplomacy is universal, in Iran it can reach debilitating proportions. I have heard many good musicians trained in Iranian conservatories complain of being dinged in grades for breaking tradition. Perhaps breaking tradition is a fine art in itself, and Afshar aims to teach her students the right way to do it.

An important lesson in tradition breaking that Afshar teaches the classical guitar world is reflected in her choice of programming. Aren’t classical guitarists supposed to be playing the Bach Chaconne or the Fernando Sor Variations—or at worst a Lennox Berkeley Sonatina? Whoever heard of modifying your instrument with extra frets so that you could mess around with avaz e dashti in dastgah e shur? How dare she ask gifted composers to base their guitar compositions on Morgh e Sahar? Well she dares, and the result is fresh territory for the guitar, or rather a nostalgic return of the guitar to the territory of its birth. Afshar often makes a point of the last syllable in the word “guitar” being of Persian origin and she references physicist Michael Kasha’s works [see footnote] on the true origin of the guitar and other instruments whose names end in “tar.” Instruments as in the se-tar, which she plays.

Dr. Afshar has high praise for tar and se-tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh and popular se-tar singer Mohsen Namjoo, saying, “[They] are incredibly innovative and they have, each in their own way stretched traditional boundaries.” She also likes Keyvan Saket. “I love his Albinoni Adagio on the tar,” she declares. “It makes me cry. It’s the first time I hear a tar player playing Western pieces. He has incredible technique, but the great thing is that he plays the pieces just like the original and you think it was written for the tar and orchestra.”

As Afshar directs her musical energies to Persian instruments, it is highly likely that she will bring upheavals of her own to our classic traditions. Already challenging the standard se-tar techniques she says, “I think, the middle and ring fingers in combination with the index finger could create more arpeggios and strumming techniques than just using the index finger, just like it is done on the guitar.” Alizadeh occasionally does that already, but it took him years to get there. Standing on the shoulders of our tar and se-tar giants, and with the discipline of the classical guitar under her belt, Afshar is launching her se-tar adventures from higher grounds. She used to practice guitar 10 hours a day, and still practices 5 hours a day on top of her rehearsals with other musicians. At one point she had to cancel a concert because she injured a finger through overzealous practice. Her fierce drive keeps me eagerly anticipating what we may hear from her se-tar or Persia-inspired guitar a few years down the line. Another reason for my anticipation is that for the Afshar family, the sky has always been the limit, literally—Lily Afshar’s grandfather helped found Iran Air! He was one of the first Iranians at Columbia University. Her sister went to Harvard. Her father studied at Stanford. Two years ago, in recognition of her international artistic and academic stature, she was invited to perform at the highly regarded Fajr Music Festival in Iran. So she has the connections to hang out in the stratospheres of Iranian culture and contribute ideas to some of the Segovias of Persian music.

She may have had in mind her future contribution to our culture when she pondered Segovia’s difficult question, “Where are you from?” The young Afshar answered in the cultural context, “I am Persian.” And the master said to her, “Yes, I can see you have the flamenco spirit and the Persian blood in you,” going on to correctly predict, “She will be a beautiful celebrity.” What would Segovia have said if Afshar had said she was from Iran? That is a question she is in default of answering for History. What she has answered for Iran, however, can be seen in the hundreds who throng her in Vahdat Hall or other concert venues in Iran asking for autographs, or just to shake hands. The fans are so excited after hearing her that sometimes they press her hand too enthusiastically, making it necessary for her to wear a protective glove after concerts. So when you go backstage to congratulate her after the Iranian.com Music Festival, don’t press her hand too hard. Those hands belong to Iran, in fact they belong to the world.

Note: See Guitar Review #30 pages 2-12, 1968 for the original Michael Kasha article.

May 16, 2009

Lily Afshar - Virtuoso Guitar

from Classical Guitar Magazine: May 2009

by Steve Marsh

Born in Tehran, Lily Afshar began playing the guitar when she was 10 years old and during her illustrious career has received many commendations and awards including first prize in the Guitar Foundation of America Competition, and three-time winner of the Annual ‘Premier Guitarist’ awards given by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. She was also chosen “Artistic Ambassador” for the United States Information Agency to Africa and is currently head of the University of Memphis guitar section.

After the opening track, Carlo Domeniconi’s possibly greatest hit for the classical guitar, “Koyunbaba”, one has the notion that Afshar seems born to perform music of this nature, so innate is her presentation of this masterwork (which comes complete with her own mini-cadenza in the finale).

Carrying on with music from the Middle East, Afshar plays “Kara Toprak (Black Earth)” by the Turkish songwriter Asik Veysel, followed by her own arrangements of five Persian ballads and finally “Gozaar” by Iranian composer Reza Vali. Some of these compositions require quarter tones and for the particular notes Afshar has had small ‘fretlets’ glued onto the fingerboard of her Thomas Humphrey guitar.

The remainder of the programme contains music from Italy, Spain and South America, hence we have “Misionera” by Bustamente, “Un Dia de Noviembre” by Brouwer, “Andaluza” by Granados and three of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “24 Caprichos de Goya” (Afshar has recorded the complete series on a separate CD).

During the entire programme Lily Afshar performs cleanly, precisely and authoritatively with a beautiful tone and technical virtuosity. This is playing of the highest order and her genuine respect for the music shines through every piece.

The sound and picture quality throughout is exceptional…this is, by all standards, a remarkable performance by a player whose technical assuredness, judiciously shrewd musicality and charismatic personality makes this disc an absolute must for all guitarists to have in their collection. The disc concludes with an interview with Afshar in which she talks about her life and career, influences and her guitar. The DVD also has an attractive photograph gallery beginning from when she was seven years old.

April 15, 2009

Lily Afshar - Hemispheres

from Classical Source: by William Yeoman

A melange of the exotic and the slightly-twisted-askew familiar awaits the listener of Tehran-born head of the University of Memphis guitar program Lily Afshar’s latest recording ‘Hemispheres’, with Orient and Occident dancing together in complete accord.

Ms Afshar begins her programme with an instrumental arrangement (by guitarist/composer Ricardo Moyano) of Anatolian Asik (minstrel) Asik Veysel’s nature song ‘Kara Toprak’ (Black Earth), easing us via a taqsim (improvisatory prelude) into a hypnotic sound world where the simple melody played over a dominant-tonic progression becomes increasingly ecstatic. Italian composer Carlo Domeniconi’s wistful ‘Schnee in Istanbul’ (Snow in Istanbul) follows, Afshar’s full, sweet tone emphasising this gentle portrait, before the quiet mood is shattered by the colourful and intense Gozaar by Reza Vali, the Persian mode of which necessitates the use of extra frets inserted into the fretboard to accomodate the quarter-tones.

Gerard Drozd’s ‘Triptych’, written for Ms. Afshar and here receiving its premiere recording, forms a tightly-organised suite, with a toccata-like Prelude reminiscent of Ponce’s psuedo-baroque writing leading to the dreamy ‘Eternal Song’ before the capricious and whimsical ‘Dreams of a Clown’ brings the work to its close. The next three pieces also look back to baroque forms, with John Schneider’s Prelude and Fugato (their complex part-writing displaying Ms. Afshar’s ability in delineating multiple voices through the use of tone colour and dynamics) being followed by Drozd’s homage to Bach with his ‘Adagio’ in the style of an Italianate concerto movement.

Danza del Altiplano by Leo Brouwer pays homage a sort as well, being based on a Peruvian folk tune ‘Viva Jujury’; here Ms. Afshar relishes the chiaroscuro offered up by the dark harmonies and jaunty rhythms before entering the entirely different sound world of another world premiere recording, Garry Eister’s Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song. Its rich resonance and improvisatory character is directly inspired by the improvisations of the Seh-tar (a traditional Persian instrument with a long, thin neck, small body and four strings) masters, and just how close Eister manages to get to the spirit of this music is demonstrated by the next work, (the melody of which is directly quoted by Eister), Morteza Neydavood’d Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn), which Ms. Afshar plays on a Seh-tar. The programme is then brought to a festive conclusion with Fernando Bustamante’s ‘Misionera’, an Argentinean work for harp and guitars or piano and arranged for solo guitar by Jorge Morel.

Ms. Afshar’s considerable technique and good taste (none of the works is ever ‘over-sold’) is equalled by excellent booklet notes and a warm, if slightly close, recorded sound. Lovers of guitar music should derive much pleasure from this undemanding yet superbly crafted repertoire - especially with such an advocate as Lily Afshar to hand.

February 23, 2008

Guitarist Displays Virtuosity

from Deseret Morning News: February 23, 2008

by Edward Reichel

The Iranian-born guitarist put her remarkable talent on display Thursday. While she does perform a good deal of contemporary works (and also commissions composers to write for her), Afshar’s program consisted of 19th and 20th century lyrical pieces that showcased her amazing musicality and wonderfully nuanced expressive playing.

In putting together a program, a guitarist in large part can choose either to play music by Spanish composers or transcriptions of keyboard works.

Lily Afshar chose the former for her recital Thursday night in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. Although there were a couple of transcriptions on her program, as well as a piece by an Italian, Afshar stayed true to the general theme of her concert — presenting an evening of wide-ranging pieces by Spanish and Latin American composers.

And in several of the works on the program, the sizable audience in attendance also got an impressive glimpse of her stunning virtuosity. Without any doubt, Afshar ranks in the top among today’s classically trained guitarists.

The one non-Spanish composer on the program, Carlo Domeniconi, was represented with a Middle Eastern inspired piece, “Koyunbaba” (“The Shepherd” in Turkish). Domeniconi spends part of his time in Turkey, and the four-movement piece is a delightful blend of Western and Eastern sonorities and harmonies.

The last two movements in particular were wonderfully played, with Afshar bringing out the eloquent lyricism of the third and the restless energy of the fourth . The finale certainly tests the mettle of the guitarist. And Afshar gave a forcefully dynamic performance. Her playing was spectacular in the manner in which she conveyed the movement’s hushed intensity and ceaseless drive.
The concert opened and closed with the only transcriptions on the program, both from piano pieces by Isaac Albeniz — the wistful “Mallorca” and the impassioned “Sevilla,” one of the composer’s most famous works, both of which Afshar played with profound expression.

Perhaps the most evocative piece on Thursday’s concert was the “Invocation and Dance” by Joaquin Rodrigo. An homage to Manuel de Falla, who was a close friend of Rodrigo’s, the piece incorporates quotes from de Falla’s ballet “El Amor Brujo,” which lends an air of mystery to the work. And Afshar gave a wonderfully compelling reading that captured the piece’s mystique.

Also on the program were sets of South American ballads and dances. Among the composers represented in these pieces, the Cuban-born Leo Brouwer and the Brazilian Egberto Gismonti are probably the best known. Their pieces were played with sensual lyricsm by Afshar.

Rounding out the concert was music by Agustin Barrios Mangore and Francisco Tarrega, whose tender “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” was given a gorgeous reading.

Afshar also played a couple of encores — two captivating Persian folk ballads in her own transcription.

February 23, 2008

Guitarist Shines With Skill. Warmth

from Salt Lake Tribune: February 23, 2008

by Katherine Reese Newton

Listening to Lily Afshar play Thursday night in Libby Gardner Concert Hall was like hanging out listening to a friend play guitar in the living room - if your friend happened to be one of the world’s best guitarists.
Afshar’s friendly, relaxed manner endeared her to her Virtuoso Series listeners, even as her seemingly effortless command of the instrument captivated them. In lieu of printed program notes, she introduced each piece from the stage, which she shared with a lovely floral arrangement roughly as big as she was.

The acoustic environment of Libby Gardner leaves no room for error. This was no problem for Afshar, who spun out intricate musical lines cleanly and with rich nuance. Even the quietest pianissimo registered decisively.
The Iranian-born guitarist displayed impressive range in a program composed primarily of Spanish and Latin American music from the 19th and 20th centuries. There were the picturesque, nostalgic “Mallorca” by Isaac Albéniz and “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” by Francisco Tarrega, a pair of delicate waltzes by Paraguayan composer Agustin Barrios Mangore and a sunny, carefree set of South American dances from Venezuela and Argentina. Three pieces by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer and one by Brazil’s Egberto Gismonti further showcased Afshar’s versatility; Brouwer’s “Danza del Altiplano” featured some delightful percussive passages.
Afshar’s knack for voice leading was especially apparent in Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Invocation and Dance,” whose distinct melodic lines played out in an appealing narrative.
She stepped off the Latin path with “Koyunbaba (Shepherd)” by Carlo Domeniconi, an Italian composer who spends part of the year teaching in Turkey. It was a delicious mix of Eastern and Western flavors.
Afshar played two of her transcriptions of Persian folk songs, encompassing an intriguing range of timbres, as an encore.

January 28, 2008

Lily Afshar

from St. Louis Post-Dispatch: January 28,2008

by Sarah Bryan Miller

If you’ve ever wondered how good traditional Persian songs might sound when arranged for the six-string Spanish guitar, the answer is, “Very.”

Iranian-born guitarist Lily Afshar proved it Saturday night to an enthusiastic crowd — loaded with home folks and guitar aficionados — at the Ethical Society. Presented by the ever-imaginative St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, Afshar’s recital was further proof that there’s more to the world of classical guitar writing than the usual Spanish suspects.

Some works on the program were arranged by Afshar; others were commissioned by her. Her instrument has been adapted with some short frets in order to accommodate the playing of the quartertones that are a part of the Persian musical tradition. “If you hear what sound like wrong notes,” she cautioned, “they’re not.”

Afshar, a striking figure with dark hair and in a black dress heavily embroidered at the neck, cuffs and hem, gave informative, humorous spoken program notes and played with terrific technical skill and a real feel for the expectations of the music worlds she explored in miniature.

That was true both of the Persian and Turkish tunes, and of the more conventional Spanish and South American pieces on the program. Afshar also performed an ancient Persian folk song, “Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn)” on the traditional three-stringed Persian lute, the seh-tar.

That and the guitar piece that followed, “Fantasia on ‘Bird of Dawn,’” by Garry Eister, which explored the tune in imaginative fashion, were highlights of the program. So were the intricate Turkish dance tune “Kara Toprak (Black Earth)” and the Persian love song that was Afshar’s encore. (“Ohhhh!” said all the Iranians in the audience when she announced the title, and then snapped their fingers in time to the music.)

January 19, 2008

West meets East when guitarist Lily Afshar performs

from Minnesota Public Radio: January 19, 2008

by Alison Young

Tremolos and quarter-tones are the exotic mix in a Lily Afshar recital. She plays music by composers most of us have never heard of and creates sounds that hearken back to Sheherezade and the Arabian Nights.

St. Paul, Minn. — When Iranian born Lily Afshar was a student at Boston Conservatory, she practiced ten hours a day to achieve the status of virtuoso. After doing that, she finally found the time to re-introduce herself to an instrument from her homeland, the sehtar.

The sonic possibilities of that instrument opened up a new path for her guitar-playing and changed her recital repertoire completely. There’s never a ho-hum list of composers in an Afshar recital. She plays pieces from Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey alongside Isaac Albeniz and Joaquin Rodrigo.

Ms. Afshar stopped by Minnesota Public Radio’s Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio to play the guitar and sehtar, as well as a new American work based on an ancient Persian song. She spoke with host Alison Young about how to create an accurate quarter-tone and what it’s like to teach at Memphis University.

October 20, 2007

Hemispheres

from American Record Guide: September/October 2007

by Ellis

From the opening quarter-tonal string bends of “Kara Toprak” by Turkish composer Asik Veysel, classical guitarist Lily Afshar strikes the best balance yet between heritage and innovation on this new album. An Iranian artist with one ear on Near and Middle Eastern culture and one on strong, distinctive new works for the classical guitar, Afshar has built a career out of interesting sideways and detours for her instrument’s literature that now feel like important corridors.

Her 1994 recorded debut was an impressive performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “24 Caprichos de Goya,” not the most recorded guitar work by the cheery Italian neo-classicist but in her hands probably one of the best. Her second album (1999-also on the Summit label), “A Jug of Wine and Thou,” is worth seeking for her rousing rendition of Domeniconi’s Turkish-inspired guitar suite “Koyunbaba.”

Archer Records is based in Memphis, where she heads the University of Memphis guitar deptarment. Her debut for Archer, “Possession” (2002), mixed a number of commisssions and arrangements into a heady contemporary package that remains her most adventurous outing. This follow-up continues to explore modern guitar repertoire but in a much more lyrical frame. Among the premiers (and high points) are Persian composer Reza Vali’s “Gozaar” (Calligraphy No. 5), a sonorous, contemplative work based on an ancient Persian modal system and written for Afshar, who had special “fretlets” installed on her guitar to accommodate the piece’s microtonal nuances. The heart of the record is the double serving of “Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song,” written by Garry Eister for Afshar, followed by the song it was based on, “Morg-eh-Sahar” (Bird of Dawn) which she strums convincingly on the traditional Persian setar, a breath of fresh folk-like air that joyfully breaks the contemporary spell for a few minutes yet lends itself wonderfully to the rest of the program’s exotic flavor.

Afshar’s technical facility gets better all the time and matches her passion note for note; on “Hemispheres,” she is at her most confident, nuanced, and powerful. In fact, she has become as important to the development and execution of modern guitar literature as John Schneider, who dedicates two works to her here, a tender prelude and motive fugato, each built from expressive yet experimental lyricism, which is quickly becoming Afshar’s defining trait as well.

June 14, 2007

Lily Afshar’s guitar sojourn in Iran

from Tehran Times: June 14, 2007

by Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

At the foot of Tehran’s northern mounts in Velenjak, Lily Afshar’s family still lives in a flat where they lend a room to the head of guitar studies at the University of Memphis in Tennessee for her master classes for Tehran’s guitar aficionados.

It is difficult to imagine that Afshar, who once was a student of Andrés Segovia, is happy about having to hold courses in such a space. However, music teachers prefer this experience to dealing with the official restrictions on holding music courses.

Every year, Afshar picks up her guitar, packs here bags, and leaves Memphis for her motherland to entertain her compatriots with some performances, to hold courses for classical guitarists, and finally, if possible, to call on her relatives.

A few years ago she criticized classical guitar playing in Iran, saying that she planned to contribute to the development of the genre in her homeland.

She is currently in Tehran to conduct another series of master classes as well as to perform concerts arranged for her sojourn in Iran.

Afshar will be performing solo concerts at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on June 14 and 15 and then the Vienna-based Iranian flutist Forugh Karimi will join her for duet performances at Vahdat Hall on July 7 and 8.

She is also scheduled to do a concert tour of Iran, with performances in Gorgan, Mashhad, and Shiraz.

“I have some contacts here helping me arrange the courses and the performances,” Afshar told the Tehran Times.

On the level of classical guitarists in Iran today, she said, “I think they are progressing. Their playing skills have improved. They pay attention to points that they neglected before, and this is very important,” she added.

However, she believes that she should do more than just holding master classes once a year.

“Thus, I am writing a book on methods of guitar playing the students can use in my absence,” she explained.

The thirst for taking lessons from Afshar, who became the first woman in the world to gain a doctorate of music in guitar performance, which she received from Florida State University, is not limited to Iranian students.

“Many students come to the University of Memphis specifically to study guitar with me. They have listened to my works and are familiar with my style. They also know that I have an open mind to music and don’t just play pieces from the Renaissance or the 20th century. I play pieces from all over the world. I try new methods. They come for all of these things,” she said.

Afshar has given many solo, chamber, and concerto performances in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Canada, France, Jordan, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and South America and has participated in many international music festivals, which brought her several awards. She also conducts guitar master classes during her touring.

“Everything is different there (in the U.S.), because there is access to everything. Classical music concerts are frequently performed and students can enjoy a miscellany of high-level concerts every night. However, they don’t feel they need to work hard,” she said.

“But Iranian students are industrious. They want to learn everything. They are thirsty to learn, and teaching them is very interesting for me,” she observed.

Some say that the emergence and reappearance of different genres of music in the West has caused a decline in the popularity of classical guitar. However, Afshar rejects this view.

“Classical music has its own listeners and fans. Many people who listen to blues and jazz also pay attention to classical guitar when they find someone who plays it well,” Afshar said.

“At present, many electric guitar players shift to classical guitar because the classical guitar has some characteristics that the electric guitar lacks,” she added.

Electric guitar is played with a pick and many effects influence its sound, but classical guitar is played with the nails, which is very personal, due to the way the player cuts the nails and uses them on the strings, she explained.

Afshar has been influenced by Andrés Segovia (1893-1987), who reestablished the guitar as a major instrument for concert music. She was among the twelve international guitarists selected to play for Segovia in his master classes at the University of Southern California.

She became interested in guitar through a Segovia record, she said.

“Solfeggio is the most important thing I learned from Segovia. He was 94 when I performed for him. He didn’t play guitar very much any more. Thus, when he wanted to teach something to me, he sang the melody like a song and asked me to match it. I will never forget this method, so I encourage my students to learn solfeggio in the very beginning,” Afshar said.

“Devoting much time to learn to play a sentence was another important thing Segovia encouraged me to do. At 94, he made no haste, but I was very young and hurried. He stressed paying attention to breathing, musicality, expression, and sentences,” she explained.

Afshar’s attachment to Segovia led her to accomplish a task that the maestro had left undone due to his age. She recorded the sheet music written by Italian-born U.S. composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco inspired by Los Caprichos, a series of etchings created by the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco de Goya. Thus her first album, “24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195”, was created in 1994.

“However, Italian composer Angelo Gilardino published the sheet music with some editing, but I did my own editing of the sheet music of Castelnuovo-Tedesco and recorded ‘24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195’,” she noted.

“Segovia had told Castelnuovo-Tedesco that the music would be one of the important pieces for guitar and encouraged him to transcribe the notes,” Afshar said.

Afshar infrequently releases recordings. Her other credits include “A Jug of Wine and Thou” (1999), “Possession” (2002), and “Hemispheres” (2006).

“I am a perfectionist. Works should be entirely perfect in my view. If you frequently release albums, you may dislike them and have regrets. Thus I record my works over and over again and listen to them and improve them until reaching the point where I can no longer listen to the piece, and then I realize that it’s perfect,” Afshar said. She has added “fretlets” to her guitar to afford her the opportunity to play quarter tones in Iranian dastgahs. (In Iranian music, dastgah is a set of notes, their features, and an associated group of traditional melodies that constitute the basis for improvising a performance.)

The first fretlet is under the sixth string at the 2nd fret. The others are under the three lowest strings at the 7th fret, and under the third string at the 9th fret.

Two pieces from the album “Hemispheres”, “Gozaar (Calligraphy No. 5)” composed by U.S.-based Iranian musician Reza Vali and “Morgh-e Sahar” (The Bird of Dawn) composed by Morteza Neydavud, are in Iranian dastgahs.

Afshar’s inclination toward Iranian music inspired her to learn to play the Iranian instrument setar (a small lute with a long neck, originally with three metallic strings, but the modern setar has four strings).————-Afshar on guitar Q: What are the effects of serialism (twelve-tone technique) on guitar music?

A: There are only a few serialist pieces, for example Richard Rodney Bennett’s “Five Impromptus” and Ernst Krenek’s works. But serialism is not common anymore and it is not used anymore. Q: How about its effect on guitar?

A: Well, this technique was interesting for guitarists; for example, to learn such pieces so they can analyze them. But it is an intellectual technique, which was used by Richard Rodney Bennett in his “Five Impromptus”. He composed it very musically. It is not very soulless like other serialistic pieces. It is interesting that someone can be both serialistic and play emotionally. A guitarist should know about that era and learn what serialism is, but we have now returned to folk music and the era of serialism is over. Q: Do you mean that aleatory music, which has no melody and is atonal, has no influence on classical guitar?

A: Aleatoric music greatly differs from serialism. These are techniques which guitarists should know about, but this technique has gone out of fashion. The era of minimalism is also over. We have come back to melodies. Q: How has modern music been influenced by modern art?

A: Modern art had a greater effect on guitar in the time of Picasso and Kandinsky. During the impressionism era we also had impressionistic pieces, which were composed by Villa-Lobos, but when cubism was invented by Picasso, serialistic pieces were developed by (Arnold) Schoenberg and (Anton von) Webern. But now everything has returned to the folk music of countries. For example, I play Iranian or oriental-themed pieces in the United States. These pieces are more popular than serialistic or aleatoric pieces. If I pick up my setar and perform on the stage, more people applaud me than if I play an odd or modern piece. Everything is becoming global and countries are coming closer together. People like to know about other nations. Nowadays, everything about Iran seems political there (in the U.S.), but it is very interesting for the Western audience when I play an Iranian instrument or piece or explain quarter tones and the application of fretlets on the fingerboard of the guitar. Q: How do you see the physical evolution of guitar? Will it change into another instrument? How important is the tone color of classical guitar? Will any instrument be invented which has the sound of guitar?

A: Guitar and its tone color will never change, because it has been institutionalized, because the renowned Segovia institutionalized it. Classical guitar is classical guitar.

Craftsmen are currently making guitars with a strong sound, but the tone color is the same as Segovia’s guitar and it should be so. Otherwise, it would not be guitar anymore. The sound of classical guitar should be strengthened because concerts are held in big halls. The microphones of the amplifiers should also be fitted in a proper position so as not to distort the guitar sound.

The Australians are also working on a guitar with increased volume, but they changed the original tone and it does not have the desired sound. It has a plastic sound. I like the tone of Segovia’s guitar, which is Spanish and warm. I began playing guitar due to its original sound, not for the volume of its sound.

Guitar makers have also begun bracing the guitar, i.e. fitting pieces of wood into the guitar to increase its volume.

My guitar has an extra C note on the upper part of the fingerboard and I have also added fretlets, because I like to highlight Iranian music in the world arena and standard guitar does not have that capacity. Therefore I added fretlets to it. The change is not fundamental and does not influence the technique, but it increases the capacity of the instrument.

Composers have begun to use various tunings for the guitar. They change the tuning of all six strings, not only one or two strings. Guitarists should adapt themselves to all these new changes, because standard repertoires are not common in concerts anymore. Q: Will the new tunings change the guitar?

A: I did it in the U.S. and it caused a media frenzy and many magazines wrote about it. And even Thomas Humphrey, the creator of my guitar, told me that I should add more fretlets to my guitar. I also wondered why I had not done it before. There is no limit I think. The artist can do anything to the instrument, provided that the instrument remains classical guitar. I am loyal to classical guitar, and everything I do in this field will be in classical guitar’s framework. I also try to use different techniques in playing classical guitar. For example, in Reza Vali’s piece “Gozaar”, I move my fingers on the guitar neck like a setar player. The use of such techniques is acceptable in classical guitar playing. I wonder why we stick to techniques that have remained unchanged for years. In particular, if we want to play traditional Iranian pieces, we have to change the tuning because the pieces can not be played on a standard guitar. (Additional reporting by Melody Khadem) MMS/HG End MNA

May 06, 2007

The Guitar Travels to Persia

from World Music Central: May 6, 2007

by ARomero

On “Hemispheres”, virtuoso guitarist Lily Afshar combines the classical guitar tradition with Persian music and South American pieces. Afshar shows her masterful ability at the guitar, playing delightful evocative compositions as well as technically difficult pieces.

The music selection includes several works written specifically for Afshar by renowned composers. She also plays a great piece by the Cuban guitar maestro Leo Brouwer. On Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn), Lily Afshar trades her guitar for the ancient Persian setar, a long-necked lute. Afshar’s technique is impeccable. Hopefully, she will encourage more girls and women to study the venerable art of guitar playing.

January 29, 2007

A Delight from the Middle East

from Harwich Oracle: January 29, 2007

by Cheryl Kain

Classical guitarist Lily Afshar gave an enriching, enlightening concert of music from around the world on Sunday afternoon at Brewster Baptist Church. After all, it had been over three years since a guitarist was invited to the Cape, and Afshar made it known she was thrilled to have “filled in the gap.”

MUSIC REVIEW

Afshar seems to take such pleasure in talking with the audience; she is a humble and gracious speaker with a wide smile, who has no problem explaining quartertones in a witty, accessible manner. “You’ll hear this,” she quipped as she played an example on the She-tar, adding, “It’s not a mistake. It’s a quartertone”.

Her physical expression on the instrument was lilting and passionate, but never distracting. Sometimes it looked as though she was sweetly hugging the body of the guitar, and listening intently, becoming a visceral part of the music. Her left hand moves up and down the neck in a most graceful fashion. While it could have been gratifying to shut your eyes and absorb the music, watching Afshar’s moves gave added dimension to the songs. Her tone was warmer than most classical guitar, and contained both dark and sweet timbre.

She took the stage in a colorful, long dress, and with her raven hair and lovely eyes, she makes a stunning entrance. Almost right away, she thanked Stefan Vogel and his family for their hospitality.

Dubbed “a whoosh of fresh air in the sometimes fusty classical guitar world” by the Utne Reader, Afshar delighted the 300-plus people at Brewster Baptist with her masterful command of the musical language, and the classical guitar, which appears to be an extension of her soul. Her flawless technique is evident the moment she tunes the strings, which she sometimes integrated seamlessly during an organic pause within a particular piece of music.

Afshar’s gentle yet passionate handling of her instrument, coupled with her fun, accessible way with an audience, made this a performance that anyone, including guitarists, world music enthusiasts, children and Persian music newbies could appreciate. The crowd was exceptionally diverse, and each person seemed to hold their breath as Afshar negotiated the eclectic, often virtuosic landscape of repertoire, covering exotic lands such as Spain, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, and more. Audible gasps and sighs were the norm, as was unfortunately, a plethora of coughing people. Yes, it is the flu season, but one wonders if the cough-sufferers could bring a lozenge, so as not to interrupt a concert of this form.

Initially, Afshar had some question as to whether Cape audiences would want to hear her trademark quartertone music, but there was no doubt everyone was thrilled to hear such breathtaking artistry in a realm of music foreign to many Western ears. Afshar began her program with “Andaluza,” by Enrique Granados, originally written for piano and arranged for guitar by Afshar. Next was “Introduction and Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Opus 9 (from the Magic Flute),” by Fernando Sor, a composer and guitarist “considered to be the ‘Beethoven’ of guitar,” according to Afshar. This piece nicely featured her quick-picking arpeggios and perfect intonation.

“Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios,” “an Alm for the Love of God,” by A. Barrios Mangore, was the last piece written by the 20th century composer and featured a gorgeous tremolo melody. “Koyunbaba, Opus 19 (1985)” by Carlo Domeniconi finished out Afshar’s first set. “Koyunbaba” means “Father of the Sheep” and the piece invokes the life of a shepherd, out in nature. Italian composer Domeniconi lived in both Germany and Turkey, and his music especially reflected a strong Turkish influence. Afshar needed to change the tuning of five strings, “to be in C# minor,” said Afshar. The last movement, “Presto,” depicted “rain on rooftops and a storm,” and showcased her shocking virtuosity.

After a brief intermission, Afshar began with “Kara Toprak” (Black Earth) by Asik Veysel, arranged by Argentinean Ricardo Moyano. “Black Earth” is a famous song in Turkey, as Afshar explained that when she was visiting Istanbul, everyone wanted her to play this. “It basically means loving the earth of the country you come from,” she says. “Danza del Altiplano,” or “Dance of the High Plains” was an audience favorite. Written by Leo Brouwer, famous Cuban guitarist and composer, the piece was eagerly anticipated by a bunch of guitar students in the audience. It was a complete treat to hear such a variety of sounds emanating from Afshar’s guitar and her musicality is super-sensitive, without being precious or self-indulgent. One moment, she was picking at the speed of light; another moment, Afshar strummed aggressively; another, she’d tap rhythms on the guitar body, or execute brilliant harmonics, which are my absolute favorite. The tone and timbres Lily conjured from that guitar were at once sweet and melodic, plaintive and heart-breaking.

The audience was thrilled to see Afshar break out her Seh-tar to play the traditional Persian folksong, “Bird of Dawn.” The Argentinean “Gozaar Calligraphy No. 5,” which means “Passage” by Reza Vali and written especially for Afshar, was fascinating to listen to, with it’s quartertones and arch format. “Two Traditional Persian Ballads” was arranged by Afshar and introduced us to folk music from Iran; ballads akin to Western music’s folksongs; the first one was (translated) “Wheat Flower”; the second, “Darling Marion,” a love song.

Sitting near two Cape guitarists and students, one enthused, “she makes this music very accessible.” Marveling at Afshar’s performance, another laughed, “I guess maybe I should practice more than a half hour a day …”

The supposed last number, “Misionera,” by Fernando Bustamante was stirring, and as Afshar left the stage, the audience jumped to their feet. For her encore, she played an Argentinean piece called “Playing Around” got laughs and had her beating time again on the instrument. Afshar also conducted a master class in Falmouth and offered private guitar lessons while she was in the area.

Judging from the comments post-concert, I’d say that concert bookers had better take note - Cape Cod is a sophisticated musical audience more than willing to embrace non-Western music and performers, and we’re all hoping Lily Afshar will return.

November 25, 2006

New Guitar CD Worth Taking a Chance On

from Peoria Journal Star: 11/25/2006

by Gary Panetta

Afshar’s playing is amazing: Her technique is prodigious, as evidenced by the many virtuoso passages on this CD; her phrasing soulful and lively. What wins me over to this CD, however, isn’t merely Afshar’s musicianship, but her willingness to explore new musical territory, to assimilate exciting new material and then to share it with listeners.

Classical guitarist Lily Afshar is based at the University of Memphis, but she’s a familiar figure in central Illinois. In recent years, this Iranian-born musician has performed at Bradley University and with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. Now she’s surfaced once again with a new CD titled “Hemispheres” (Archer Records).

I highly recommend this recording to anyone who enjoys classical guitar or simply has an itch to expand his or her musical horizons. Listeners will get a taste of Persian music, including Afshar’s haunting and beautiful performance on the Seh-tar, an ancient Persian stringed instrument; the sounds of South America in the form of galloping Paraguayan rhythms; and shades of Turkish folk styles as interpreted by an Italian composer.

For more information on Lily Afshar, log on to http://www.lilyafshar.com or http://www.archer-records.com.
Classical guitarist Lily Afshar is based at the University of Memphis, but she’s a familiar figure in central Illinois. In recent years, this Iranian-born musician has performed at Bradley University and with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. Now she’s surfaced once again with a new CD titled “Hemispheres” (Archer Records).

For more information on Lily Afshar, log on to http://www.lilyafshar.com or http://www.archer-records.com.

November 20, 2006

Lily Afshar

from Fanfare: November/December 2006

by Robert Schulslaper

HEMISPHERES • Lily Afshar (gtr) • ARCHER 1926 (55:54)

VEYSEL Kara Toprak. DOMENICONI Schnee in Istanbul. VALI Calligraphy No. 5, “Gozaar.” DROZD Triptych. Adagio. SCHNEIDER Lament. Fugato. BROUWER Danza del Altiplano. EISTER Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song. NEYDAVOOD Morgh-eh-Sahar. BUSTAMENTE Misionera

Lily Afshar’s CD, “Hemispheres,” presents music from Turkey, Iran, South America, Poland, and the United States in vibrant, musically astute performances. Afshar’s considerable technical proficiency and poetic sensibility have prompted several composers to dedicate pieces to her, and there are six premieres among the selections. She’s a guitarist with a keen sense of sonority and an easy familiarity with the disparate styles and idioms on display. The clear, slightly resonant recording transmits every nuance of texture and tone with satisfying immediacy.

I was intrigued with the Persian and Turkish pieces. I’ve purposely referred to Persian rather than Iranian music to suggest the ancient and fantastical elements that shape the sound world of pieces like Morgh-eh-Sahar. The distinctive tones of the seh-tar (a native Persian instrument) ring in a world of bardic minstrelsy, deep and powerful in feeling, redolent of the epic history of an old civilization. Other pieces, “Gozaar” and Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song, albeit recently composed, transmit the essence of a music refined over the centuries. Two technical innovations, the use of fretlets (small frets) and new techniques of retuning in the midst of a composition, facilitate the use of quarter tones, which enable the guitar to speak with an expressive voice outside the familiar.

Kara Toprak is a setting of a Turkish folk song. The rhythmic stresses in the faster sections and the earthly melody lend a joyous quality, symbolic of the lyrics in which the poet proclaims his love of life, even in the face of his ultimate dissolution and dispersion. Schnee in Istanbul paints a serene portrait of a gentle snowfall, peaceful and calm, without any overt Turkish references, despite the title.

Polish-composer Gerard Drozd’s Triptych consists of a vigorous “Prélude,” a soulful “Eternal Song,” and “Dreams of a Clown,” a Felliniesque (or should I say, Rotaesque) waltz, humorous, tipsy, a brief comédie humaine in music. His Adagio is an homage to Bach, reminiscent of the Baroque, but with individual touches that deviate from its model. Schneider’s Lament and Fugato share that approach; the stately procession of the first awakens memories of Baroque gravitas and the Fugato, although not Bachian, is very tightly argued in the fashion of strict counterpoint. An interlude in rippling triplets lyrically alters the mood before a return to the rigorous beginning.

Danza del Alteplano is Brouwer’s arrangement of an Andean folk song. Gradually increasing in tempo with each statement of the theme, it brings to mind the high vistas of the Andes, echoing to the sounds of panpipes and charangos (small Andean guitars). Bustamente’s contribution mines the same lode of Argentinean folk song. Dedicated to a woman living in Misiones, a province in northeast Argentina, Misionera’s strong, passionate tune is set to a galopa, an ideal rhythm to accompany a gaucho on horseback galloping across the Pampas. It’s easy to imagine a story of Argentinean romance informing its bold vitality.

Lily Afshar has brought us a multicolored recital, a richly inventive journey through diverse musical landscapes. May she continue to explore the endlessly varied sonic landscape of her chosen instrument’s repertoire. Robert Schulslaper

November 15, 2006

Lily Afshar

from UTNE Reader: November/December 2006

by Keith Goetzman

Tehran-born Lily Afshar is a whoosh of fresh air in the sometimes
fusty classical guitar world, playing her cedar-topped instrument in unconventional tunings and with palpable passion. On Hemispheres, she nods to her Middle Eastern heritage with a fresh, buoyant arrangement of a Turkish folk song and a hypnotic piece based on traditional Persian modal music. But she also plays new works by European, North American, and Latin American composers and arrangers, and the result is a pan global, consistently gorgeous recording whose appeal will extend beyond the conservatory crowd to many fans of ethnic and acoustic music. By the time she picks up a traditional Persian instrument, the Seh-tar, to deliver the entrancing “Morgh-eh-Sahar” (“Bird of Dawn”), listeners may have a new guitar heroine.

October 30, 2006

Lily Afshar

from Modern Guitars Magazine: October 30, 2006

by Tom Watson

The career of classical guitarist and educator Lily Afshar can be summed up by the phrase “the world is her oyster”. Born (1960) in Tehran, Iran, she emigrated to the United States in 1977 and now lives in Memphis, Tennessee, where she serves as the head of the guitar department of the University of Memphis. In July, 2006, her fourth album, Hemispheres (Archer Records), was released and the following month found her giving master classes at the Tehran Conservatory of Music and solo recitals at one of Tehran’s premier concert venues, Vahdat Hall.
[Click here to view entire interview]

October 20, 2006

Lily Afshar

from CD Hotlist: October 2006

This is a fascinating collection of classical guitar pieces drawing on a wide variety of world music traditions, including a newly commissioned work by Reza Vali (for which Afshar installed quarter-tone frets on her guitar) and world premier performances of pieces by Gerard Drozd, Garry Eister and others. Any collection supporting a classical guitar curriculum should consider this disc an essential purchase.

September 15, 2006

Lily Afshar

UHF Magazine No. 77
September 2006
Hemispheres
Lily Afshar
Archer 31926

Simon: The first thing that struck me was the glorious, warm and deep sound that Lily Afshar can produce with her guitar (in some compositions it even reminded me of a Oud). Her first piece carried me instantly (well, let’s say, after the short introduction) to Asia Minor,
with an Anatolian folk song called Kara Toprak (Black Earth), by Veysel, a 20th century Turkish minstrel. His lyrics are available in the booklet, and reading the poetry added a special flavor to the music: “My true love is the black earth, when my essence and the earth mix and
become one, I shall become a flower and decorate my grave.”

The intimate piece by contemporary Italian composer Domeniconi, titled Schnee in Istanbul (Snow in Istanbul), is a lovely and introspective composition. Quite a contrast, however, with the highly unusual Gozzar, derived from
Persian traditional music, by composer Reza Vali, who wrote it for Lily Afshar. Actually, she explains how she had to install a set of small frets on her guitar to create the new sounds and notes required for the pitch structure of the piece. It is a strange blend of modern music with traditional Eastern accents.

Lily Afshar, currently head of the University of Memphis guitar program, is an amazing and celebrated performing artist, and she appears to have made quite an impression on the guitarists and composers who have written pieces for her or dedicated them to her. Another
piece written for her in 2005 is the Triptych, op. 102 by Polish composer Gerard Drozd. He wrote it after attending her recital in Poland. It is a suite of three fresh, lovely short pieces perfectly adapted, I think, to her style, combining an air of liveliness alternating with a sense of mystery. Drozd also wrote the Adagio, op. 44, which he calls a modest homage to J. S. Bach, a serene and quiet moment played with such an impeccable sense of rhythm and pause that the music seems to speak and tell a story.

John Schneider wrote two pieces, that he dedicated to Lily Afshar, and she is just at home with the dreamy Prelude as she is with the energetic and complex Fugato — which ends with a bang. For a total change of flavor, she includes a breath of fresh air from the Andes with
Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s piece, based on a Peruvian folk song, Danza del Altiplano. Pure delight!

Nothing prepared me, however, for the fantastic Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song. Composed by Garry Eister, it is, in his words, a Westerner’s “travel tale” of an enriching and exciting first visit to a new musical culture. Yes, he too wrote it for Afshar, and she does wonders
with all the subtleties of his music — the sudden stops, the whispers, the joy of soaring to the light. Then, for the real thing, she trades her guitar for a Seh-Tar, a traditional Persian string instrument with a small pear-shaped bowl and a long and narrow fretted neck. And we are
transported to another world with her interpretation of Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn). Quite a discovery to hear this interesting and delicate short piece by Iranian composer Morteza Neydavood on the authentic instrument this ancient melody was meant to be played on.
From Persia back to South America with the rhythmic and lively Misionera by folk music Argentinian composer Fernando Bustamante, as a closing piece.

The naturally warm, rich and resonating guitar sound is wonderfully rendered by Ward Archer’s recording skills, and the liner notes are full of fascinating details about the music and the people behind it - a travel tour gem of modern and traditional styles.

It is also a historical document, for many of the compositions you’ll hear on this CD are world premieres.

By: Albert Simon

September 09, 2006

Lily Afshar

from Commercial Appeal: September 9, 2006

by Christopher Blank

commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN

Dance review

Ballet Memphis’ in-house crew of choreographers has, in recent years, become the company’s most frequent source of original material.

Two guys in particular have gotten quite good at it, and essentially made the Momentum dance series (new pieces in smaller venues) what it is.

Garrett Ammon and Joseph Jefferies once again became the go-to guys for Momentum 8, which kicked off Ballet Memphis’ season Friday night at the Gibson Lounge Downtown.

The proximity to Beale Street is fitting for these choreographers who bring fresh, dynamic ideas to the stage, though in very different ways.

Jefferies is the dreamy romantic. His revived piece, “Cupid Revealed,” danced by Crystal Brothers and Travis Bradley (looking solid at the start of the season), investigates the beginnings of love through a Balanchine-like fluidity.

His new work, “A Jug of Wine and Thou,” had a Flamenco attitude with a neo-classical smoothness. It was inspired by the classical guitar music of Lily Afshar, whose live performance was breathtaking.

Ammon has a more aggressive, contemporary approach, both thought-provoking and accessible. He brought back his stunning “Short Trip Home,” a joyous piece set to folksy, Appalachian-style music.

He also debuted an impressive new dance called “The Lonely Crowd,” set to music by the Velvet Underground.

His choreography played off the emotionally charged, soul-baring lyrics of “Sweet Jane,” “Sunday Morning” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”

Ammon does well with stricter, palpable rhythms for his steps, while Jefferies—now dancing with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo—prefers a more lyrical feel.

Either way, the contrasts of form and energy in these pieces by Ballet Memphis’ reliable choreographers made for a memorable evening of dance.

——————————

‘Momentum 8’

Ballet Memphis repeats this performance at 8 tonight and 6 p.m. Sunday at the Gibson Lounge, 145 George W. Lee Ave. Tickets are $25. Call 737-7322

September 01, 2006

Lily Afshar’s Hemispheres

“...one of the most sublime solo guitar experiences around.”

from Global Rhythm : September 1, 2006

by Phil Freeman

Lily Afshar combines the delicate yet powerful sound of the classical guitar with the melodic ornamentation of Persian and Baroque music. Her fourth album, Hemispheres (Archer), is a hypnotically beautiful suite of pieces, many brand-new and some written expressly for her. She’s been playing the guitar for decades, having first become aware
of the instrument as a child-she overheard a cousin trying and failing to learn, and was consumed with the desire to grab the instrument away and do it herself. Later, she says, “listening to Andres Segovia inspired and encouraged me to pursue the classical guitar for the rest of my life. I loved his tone, his phrasing, his vibrato, his use of timbres, his musicianship, and his love for the guitar. I loved the intimacy of the guitar, its warm sound, and the fact that I could hold it, put both hands around it, and play at all odd hours whenever I felt like it without disturbing someone.”
Far from disturbing anyone, Afshar is now the head of the Guitar Program at the University of Memphis, and has won numerous awards and fellowships for her playing. On Hemispheres, she also plays the seh-tar, an ancient Persian instrument. “Just like in the Baroque period, where ornamentation was up to the performer and was used as a form of improvisation, Persian music also uses dense ornamentation.” Afshar says, explaining the commonalities between her various endeavors. “The execution of a melodic line or a mode is left up to the musician. In learning a Persian instrument such as the seh-tar, one also learns the variety of techniques to ornament a melody.” Hemispheres fuses Baroque classical with Persian traditions, and the result is one of the most sublime solo guitar experiences around.

September 01, 2006

Lily Afshar

from Goodsound.com: September 1, 2006

by John Crossett

Lily Afshar: Hemispheres

Classical and world-music guitarist Lily Afshar’s name was new to me, but hearing her brings back memories of Andrés Segovia, David Russell, and Christopher Parkening—she plays her acoustic instrument with the same assured sense of self that those topnotch guitarists have displayed. The title of Afshar’s first album, Hemispheres, is probably the best summation of what one hears on this eclectic disc, much of the music on which is from the Middle East and Spain. But that in itself will probably not be the main reason you’ll want to hear it. Here are two good reasons to add this album to your collection. First, its 13 selections include five world premieres of music written especially for Afshar, including two dedicated to her. Second, the sound is excellent—the full feeling of an acoustic guitar being played in a real space is alive and well on this disc. If you have even the smallest interest in the classical guitar, or are looking for a demo disc of simply wonderful music, Hemispheres should be on your short list….John Crossett

August 04, 2006

Lily Afshar

from Oakland Tribune: August 4, 2006

by Stephanie von Buchau

The Iranian-born guitarist, Lily Afshar, who teaches at Memphis U, has devised an arresting program of Persian (and Persian-inspired) music, most of it new, some of it written for Afshar and some receiving world premiere performances. She even plays a piece on the traditional Persian stringed instrument, a lute called the “seh-tar.”

The works are all melodic, with the kind of ethnic rhythms that make them more appealing than much contemporary music. Best of all, Afshar has a silky technique with a beautifully equalized tone and a pungent musical mind.

July 31, 2006

Lily Afshar

Hemispheres

from Barnes & Noble: July 31, 2006

by Scott Paulin

There’s a thread of autobiography woven through Lily Afshar’s
Hemispheres, an album that not only touches repeatedly on the
classical guitarist’s Persian cultural heritage but also travels the
globe almost as far and wide as her musical career has taken her. The
ambitiously diverse program offers few familiar touchstones of the
guitar repertoire composer Leo Brouwer’s name is the principal one
—yet not a track goes by without causing the listener to marvel at
the beauty of Afshar’s tone and her mastery of the instrument’s
technique. It’s no wonder that several of the pieces recorded here
were written for Afshar by composers who found her performances
inspiring; most of these works receive their world premieres on this
album. Among them, Polish composer Gerard Drozd’s Triptych and John
Schneider’s Prelude and Fugato both balance the guitar’s lyrical
possibilities with passages of intricate finger work, as if precisely
to show off the breadth of Afshar’s talents. Reza Vali—born, like
Afshar, in Iran—takes the opportunity to explore the modes of
traditional Persian music in his Gozaar (Calligraphy No. 5), asking
Afshar to coax unusually evocative harmonies from her instrument, and
Garry Eister’s Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song plays with
quarter-tone tunings that allude to the distinctive sound of the
seh-tar, a guitar-like instrument that Ashfar adopts on the following
track, Iranian composer Mortez Neydavood’s Bird of Dawn. Adding in a
variety of other short pieces that further enrich the scintillating
palette, Lily Afshar has crafted an album that not only marks her as
an artist to watch but also expands the horizons of any guitar
aficionado who hears it. - Scott Paulin

July 28, 2006

Afshar’s “Hemispheres” Touches on Middle Eastern Sources

Afshar’s guitar translates into any language

from The Commercial Appeal: July 28, 2006

by Christopher Blank

In the mid 19th century, a Spaniard by the name of Antonio de Torres Jurado standardized the shape and timbre of the modern classical guitar.

For that reason, and also because some of the world’s greatest classical guitar players and composers were Spanish, the sound can seem inseparable from the rugged Andalusian landscape, home of the bullfight and the flamenco.

In the mid 19th century, a Spaniard by the name of Antonio de Torres Jurado standardized the shape and timbre of the modern classical guitar.

Classical guitar came of age, however, the same time Andres Sevogia (also Spanish) became a household name in the last century. The late classical guitarist and arranger also had scores of new music written for him.

Toward the end of his life in the summer of 1986, Segovia hosted a master class at the University of Southern California. Among his 12 students was a young Iranian woman whose playing stood out to him. The maestro remarked: “She will be a beautiful celebrity.”

Lily Afshar may not have become a “celebrity” the way guitar mag cover girl Sharon Isbin has. But there’s no question that Afshar is among the best classical guitarists in the world.

In 2000, she received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. Christopher Parkening won in the male category the same year.

Born into a musical family in Tehran, she picked up the guitar at age 10 after hearing a cousin play.
a Due to a lack of formal guitar instruction in Iran, she came to the United States in 1977 at age 17 to study, first at Boston College then at the Boston Conservatory of Music where she got a bachelor’s degree on scholarship.

She then got her master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and finally received her doctorate from Florida State University in 1989.

She lays claim to being the first woman in the world with a doctorate of music in guitar performance.

The day after getting her doctorate, she was offered a teaching job at the University of Memphis, where she is now the head of the guitar department.

She recently released Hemispheres, on the Memphis label Archer Records. This is her fourth record since her recording debut in 1994 of Castelnuovo-Tedesco tunes, a decidedly more “traditional” sounding classical guitar album.

Hemispheres brings “classical guitar” up to date by going back to the very beginning.

But not back to Andalusia.

Her Iranian roots are closer to the actual origin of the classical guitar.

Long before Don Torres made his improvements, the guitarra’s instrumental ancestors immigrated to Southern Spain from the east. Various similar instruments were brought to Spain by the Islamic Moors from northern Africa. There is debate as to whether the word guitar has Greek, Arabic or Sanskrit roots.

Hemispheres, like its title, is contemporary classical guitar music that has sonorities from all over the world, but most interestingly, from the Middle East.

One moving piece is “Gozaar (Calligraphy No. 5),” a spare Persian-influenced work by living Iranian composer Reza Vali that uses an ancient modal system of quarter tones. Plucked in lines of single notes, the music sketches out a complex image.

In “Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song,” composer Garry Eister attempts to capture the spirit of the seh-tar (a three-stringed Persian lute, related to the sitar with its drone-like characteristics). Afshar picks up the seh-tar herself on “Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn),” by the Iranian composer and teacher Morteza Neydavood.

Afshar rounds out her album with sounds from different parts of the world. In the Argentinean “Misionera,” the rhythm evokes a galloping horse. John Schneider’s “Prelude” and “Fugato” is a postmodern take on the classical sonata and rondo forms, with tense, uneasy harmonies. There are scenes from Peru and Istanbul as well.

Five of the 13 tunes are written for or dedicated to Afshar. Six are premieres.

Afshar not only demonstrates that the classical guitar speaks in many languages, it is also amazingly versatile in the hands of a musician who has a familial connection to the instrument’s ancient ancestry.

For more information on Afshar, or to get a copy of the disc, visit archer-records.com.

Hear a July 25 interview with her on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” on the Web site npr.org. Type “Afshar” in the search box. The story also has sound samples from Hemispheres.

July 25, 2006

Classial Guitarist Traverses ‘Hemispheres’

The music of Lily Afshar’s childhood home, Iran, infuses her fourth CD, Hemispheres.

from NPR : July 25, 2006

by Robert Siegel

All Things Considered, July 25, 2006 · Originally from Iran, classical guitarist Lily Afshar stayed in the United States after the Islamic revolution in her homeland. Like her life, her music crosses continents.

On her latest CD, Hemispheres, Afshar showcases music inspired by traditional Persian songs; she also plays the sehtar (a three-stringed Persian lute).

Afshar comes from a musical family. Her father was a pianist and violinist, and encouraged his daughter to pursue classical guitar. She is now the head of the guitar program at the University of Memphis.

Afshar talks to Robert Siegel about how her father presented her with her first guitar, the qualities and traditions of Persian music and the only concert she ever cancelled.

Listen to the interview at the following:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5581544

October 01, 2005

Lily Afshar

Wigmore Hall, London 18 March, 2005

from CLASSICAL GUITAR, ENGLAND: October 1, 2005

by Therese Wassily Saba

Lily Afshar’s Wigmore Hall debut was very successful on both a musical and intellectual level. Her playing was communicative and expressive and she introduced us to repertoire that otherwise goes unheard in classical guitar circles. Due to her Iranian background, she has inspired many composers to write solo guitar works for her that draw their inspiration from Persian music.

In the case of the Iranian composer Reza Vali, this produced a fine quality piece called Gozaar (Calligraphy No. 5) that is very much forward-looking in terms of contemporary music. This was the premiere of the work. We were privileged to hear another premier: MKG Variations by Kamran Ince which was arranged by Lily Afshar. The American composer Garry Eister also wrote a work for Lily Afshar called Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song which in contrast, it seemed to be more backward looking and bogged down in its aim to look to Persian music.
The instruments which Lily Afshar plays are also of some interest. The Persian song which Garry Eister used for his Fantasia was Morgh-eh-Sahar and Lily Afshar preceded the Eister piece with a performance of Morgh-eh-Sahar on the Persian seh-tar. She has also had, what she calls ‘fretlets’ placed between the regular frets of the guitar in order to play the microtones required for Persian music and in particular for Gozaar (Calligraphy No. 5) by Reza Vali.
Although there are few other guitarists with fretlets on their guitars, there are many who enjoy playing Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba, so I feel it is essential for you to know that Vali’s work is written for the same C-sharp minor scordatura required for Koyunbaba and it is a well-written work.
I was very pleased to hear Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Goyescas. It is a common complaint that the guitar doesn’t have a broad enough repertoire but I prefer to complain that the guitarists don’t explore enough of our not-so-broad repertoire. The Goyescas are a case in point: they really are rarely performed gems.
Lily Afshar lives in the United States and teaches at the University of Memphis. She rarely visits London for concerts, but perhaps we might be fortunate enough to see and hear more of her music making in the future over this side of the Atlantic.

May 18, 2005

Lily Afshar at the Wigmore

from Musical Opinion: May 18, 2005

by Manus Carey

Lily Afshar’s Guitar recital at the Wigmore Hall on 18 March provided an extremely well thought-out and fresh sense of programming, illustrating many different sides of her impressive talents on this instrument. Her relaxed, attractive stage manner, her searching and sensitive musicianship and her ability to draw the listeners onto the edge of their seats, were all backed up by a thorough knowledge of the tonal capabilities of her instrument and a frankly awesome digital technique.

Three interlinking musical threads ran throughout the recital, marking her connections with her native Tehran and her adopted America, and her instrument’s strong links with Spain. Two World Premieres were aired, one by Iranian-born Reza Vali, a piece entitled Gozaar, requiring retuning of the Guitar to include quartertones of the Persian modal system, the other by American Gary Eister, his Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song, a version of which was first played by Lily on the traditional seh-tar. Eister’s piece sought to recreate the spirit of the seh-tar on the modern guitar through its use of ornaments, drones and unusual tuning methods.
Other works included transcriptions of Isaac Albeniz’s Sevilla, originally for piano, and the London Premiere of Kamran Ince’s MKG Variations, originally for cello. Carlo Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba Opus 19, Dusan Bogdanovic’s Omar’s Fantasy, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s 24 Caprichos de Goya Opus 195 and Joaquin Rodrigo’s Invocation et Danse were all performed with a naturalness and acute awareness of minute timbral variations.
Lily Afshar’s non-static style of performing, always on the search for new sounds and musical shadings, make her an outstanding guitarist.

May 18, 2005

Lily Afshar at Wigmore Hall

from http://www.classicalsource.com: May 2005

by William Yeoman

Although born in Tehran, Lily Afshar studied in the US, where she is now Head of the Memphis University Guitar Course. This recital nevertheless had a distinct Middle-Eastern flavour, with many of the pieces not only influenced by Turkish and Persian music but written by Iranian composers. And because of the Moorish influence on Spanish culture (and by extension Latin America), pieces by Leo Brouwer, Rodrigo and Albéniz were seamlessly integrated into the programme.

Afshar’s fluent technique boasts a seamless legato, strong projection, rhythmic precision and a broad tonal palette, all tempered by a free, improvisatory style which suited much of the featured material. Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s Un dia de Noviembre (A Day in November), written for a film by Humberto Solaz, is simple, tuneful and descriptive, and Afshar performed it in a clear and direct manner; the following Gozaar by Vali provided a perfect contrast, utilizing flowing Persian modal material punctuated by rich strummed chords (and here Afshar made use of the extra frets inserted into the fretboard of her guitar in order to play the quarter-tones required by the modes). Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba (meaning shepherd; also a bay in the Aegean), is different again: influenced by Turkish folk-music and using a C sharp minor tuning, this popular four-movement piece features lavishly ornamented melodies contrasted with virtuoso toccata-like passages. Here the playing was most impressive and necessitating a gear-change in the form of Afshar taking up a traditional Persian instrument, the seh-tar (a small gourd-like instrument with a long neck and four strings), to perform Neudavood’s Morgh-eh-Sahar (Bird of Dawn). This was a beautiful performance, the seh-tar resonating to strums and tremolo as a sinuous melody sang out over a drone. American Garry Eister’s Fantasia on a Traditional Persian Song for guitar takes up the thread of Neudavood’s exotic (to out ears!) soundworld and gives it a traveller’s gloss; Afshar performed it with the same ear for modal textures and flexible rhythms.
————————————————————————————————————————
Following the interval came Kamran Ince’s dramatic MKG Variations (the initials refer to the original dedicatee) for solo cello, performed in Afshar’s own arrangement, and Dusan Bogdanovic’s Omar’s Fancy. Looking both to the music of Turkey and JS Bach, both pieces explore a range of moods which Afshar used to summarise the guitar’s expressive capabilities and make way for the richer, more romantic world of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s El Sueno de la Razon Produce Monstruos (The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters) and Quien Mas Rendido’ (Who is the more Devoted?) from 24 Caprichos de Goya. Based on Goya’s etchings, the music has much in common with Granados’s Goyescas (for solo piano), both in style and sentiment, and therefore provided a link to the last programmed work of this recital, Albéniz’s Sevilla; but between these came Rodrigo’s homage to Falla, Invocation et Danse, a piece which features fiery flamenco-like scales, artificial harmonics and fast chord passages and which were despatched with abandon by Afshar. Alberto Gismonti’s Water and Wine provided a mellow encore.

December 15, 2004

Possession: Lily Afshar, guitar

from Classical Voice of North Carolina: December 2004

by Jeff Rossman

Unlike in the “old days” of vinyl, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to record and release CDs. There are literally thousands of individuals and companies doing just this, so it is a wonderful surprise when a new venture stands out above the others. Archer Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee, was founded in 2001, and their first major release, “Possession”, by classical guitarist Lily Afshar is a superb product in every way.

Afshar is currently head of the University of Memphis guitar program and recipient of numerous international awards. She is a guitarist who combines effortless technique with incredible clarity and interpretive skills. As good as her two previous recordings are, this release rises way above them and should be placed on a list of indispensable guitar recordings. The program on this disc represents eight contemporary composers, several of whose works enjoy here their world premieres. Some reading the last sentence might react by wanting to run out of the room screaming. Fear not! This collection represents not only the best of modern guitar music but is also a shining example of what contemporary music can be.

One of the highlights of this disc is an amazing performance of the fiendishly difficult “Invocation and Dance,” by Joaquin Rodrigo. There are also a few more well-known (at least in guitar circles) works, including a Waltz by Agustin Barrios and several compositions by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. Balancing out the more traditional are two pieces by Dusan Bogdanovic, one of the most talented composers, performers, teachers and scholars of the classical guitar today. As in his “Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for the Golden Flower,” many of his works combine fairly complex Eastern European rhythms and harmonies with traditional forms. There are three lovely, lyrical lullabies by Barbara Kolb and what I feel is the highlight of this disc - “MKG Variations,” by Kamran Ince. This is an adaptation, by the composer, of his original work for unaccompanied cello.

The recorded sound is among the best I’ve ever heard - it is totally natural, as if there were absolutely no barrier between this virtuoso player with a great instrument and the listener. Congratulations to Archer records and Lily Afshar for what is certainly an artistic triumph. We can only hope that the word gets out so that more recordings like this will be produced and become available to the public. Please visit Archer Records’ web site and order this recording. You will find it hard to take out of your CD player once you have heard it.

Archer Records ARR-31919 (CD; 62:50; $16.98)
available from customary outlets or directly from Archer Records at http://www.archerrecords.com/

February 10, 2004

Afshar’s guitar casts a beautiful spell

Concert Review

from Cincinnati Enquirer: February 10, 2004

by John K. Toedtman

Dr. Lily Afshar, head of the guitar program at the University of Memphis, presented an enchanting recital of predominantly 20th-century works for the classical guitar Sunday afternoon at Xavier University.
Playing a 1992 Millennium model guitar by the American craftsman Thomas Humphrey, Afshar evoked a multitude of tonal colors and shadings from her instrument. Her skillful use of tempo rubato, brilliant and effortless technique and sensuous tone kept the large audience spellbound.

For the opening piece, “Un Dia de Noviembre,” by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, Afshar produced a graceful, romantic melody that was enhanced by her use of flexible tempi and a large palette of tonal hues.
“Omar’s Fancy,” written for Afshar by Bosnian composer Dusan Bogdanovic and inspired by the poetry of Omar Khayyam, contained intricate rhythms and a wonderful use of percussive tapping on the guitar, while “Waltz, Op. 8, No. 3” by Agustin Barrios Mangore was performed like a Polish mazurka with a Latin flavor.
“Koyunbaba, Op. 15” by Italian composer Carlo Domeniconi has four movements and spins a tale about a Turkish sheepherder. In the last movement, a presto, Afshar’s guitar sounded like a harpsichord, with an incessant repetition of the notes.
Two Beatles songs made for a delightful diversion from the more serious repertoire of the day. Like J.S. Bach’s music, the Beatles’ songs have been transferred to many mediums, but “Eleanor Rigby” and “Michelle” never sounded more charming and original than when played by Afshar.
A highlight was the noble “Tango and Sevilla” by Albeniz, who wrote the piece for piano, though Afshar made a convincing case for its performance on guitar. There is nobility about this music.
Afshar managed to transcend the technical difficulties and subordinate her control and virtuosity to the inner artistry of the music she loves. In doing so, she communicated the beauty of the classical guitar.

October 20, 2003

Lily Afshar Possession

Archer Records

from Guitar Review: October 2003

by Stephen Griesgraber

The latest recording from Lily Afshar, Possession, offers an uncommonly provocative program balancing perennial favorites such as Waltz, Op. 8, No. 3 by Barrios and Rodrigo’s Invocation and Dance with contemporary gems from Bogdanovic and Brouwer. Most compelling, however, are three premiers: Scherzo, Op. 47 by Salvador Brotons, Broken Slurs by Barbara Kolb, and MKG Variations by Kamran Ince.

Written in 1989, Scherzo, Op. 47 is a virtuosic work in ABA form. It exhibits harmonic sophistication and driving rhythmic energy while remaining idiomatic to the instrument. With its taut construction - just over five minutes - the piece is appropriate for a variety of programs. Its maturity makes it worthy of regular presentation.

Leo Brouwer and Dusan Bogdanovic are inarguably two of the most important classical guitar composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Perhaps more so than any other composers of our time, Bogdanovic and Brouwer explore and expand their unique voices. Ms. Afshar’s performance of the extraordinary Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue for the Golden Flower is especially powerful. She plays with a nuanced power that is as at once exhilarating and refined.

Barbara Kolb’s Three Lullabies were written for David Starobin and dedicated to Kolb’s godson, Robert Starobin. The third lullaby includes a humming part, which on Starobin’s recording is performed by baritone Patrick Mason. On Possession, Ms. Afshar performs the humming part herself, lending the performance a unique intimacy.

It is always exciting to see a new piece for guitar by a reputable composer such as Barbara Kolb. Broken Slurs is a three-minute work that begins with a simple melodic introduction before spiraling into intense strains of compound counterpoint. As always, the strength and precision of Afshar’s playing illuminate.

Originally scored for piano, Agua e Vinho by Egberto Gismonti was recorded in a guitar arrangement on Sharon Isbin’s 2000 Grammy Award winning compact disc, Dreams of a World. On Possession, Lily Afshar brings an understated sweetness to the richly melancholic romantic miniature. This piece is sure to become a repertoire standard.

The world premier of MKG Variations by Kamran Ince closes the recording. The piece is nine minutes in length and exhibits a dark and evocative, if not always adventurous, modal language. Afshar’s performance is stunning; bringing the music to life with captivating emotional breadth.

April 01, 2003

Possession

Lily Afshar

from Hartford Courant: by Eric R. Danton

For the uninitiated, classical guitar has always started and stopped with Andres Segovia, the late Spanish master.

That’s hardly surprising. Classical music for guitar is a realm where appreciating the player’s technique requires greater patience than, say, debating the relative merits of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

Lily Afshar is as much a classical egghead as anyone who began studying the instrument at age 10 and went on to earn a doctorate in guitar performance. But on “Possession” her third album, Afshar skillfully separates the liner-note jargon from her stunning performances on a series of mostly modern compositions for guitar.

Three of the songs on “Possession” were written specifically for Afshar, and their inclusion marks the world premiere of each. Her mastery of the new and old pieces is undeniable, and Afshar performs the complicated rhythms of “Scherzo, Op. 47” with the same passion she brings to the (relatively) simple, subdued “Un Dia di Noviembre.”

Afshar is a player with astonishing breadth, and her skill makes “Possession” a worthy addition to any CD collection.

March 28, 2003

Superb Lily Afshar Concert

from Classical Guitar in Northern Colorado: March 28,2003

by Steve Waechter

Lily Afshar presented a wonderfully varied and entertaining concert at the historic Rialto Theater on March 22. Her program was well chosen and successfully offered a wide range of ethnic styles from Middle Eastern works to Beatles tunes including a couple of virtuoso classics that audiences love. It was indeed a pleasure to hear such a variety of styles consummately performed by an artist who shares her musical soul without restraint.

As an acknowledgement of the celebration of the Persian New Year, Ms. Afshar offered her arrangements of three Popular Persian Ballads. Her performance was exquisite. She also performed three of the 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Her explanatory remarks significantly helped the audience understand the programmatic content and compositional technique of the composer. She also played three Beatles tunes (“And I Lover Her”/arr. E. Barreiro, “Eleanor Rigby”/arr. G. Solscher, and “Michelle”/arr.T. Takemitsu) which were charming and certainly connected with Beatles fans in the audience. The other selections on the program were wonderfully done, but space limitations preclude including comments on each work.

Lily Afshar is a wonderful performer. Her preparation is topnotch, her musical ideas are clear and convincing, and she communicates very effectively with her audience. It was refreshing to hear such a varied program that was so engagingly performed.

August 09, 2002

Entertainment

from The Patriot Ledger: August 9, 2002

by Peter Knapp

Also enterprising is the solo recital of contemporary guitar music performed by the Iranian-born guitarist Lily Afshar on an Archer Records CD called “Possession” for some reason.
Afshar, who in February gave a master class at the South Shore Charter School in Hull, earned degrees at the Boston Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music before going on the Florida State University where she became the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate in guitar performance.

Afshar’s appealing recital blends abstract and more traditional material spanning several cultural sources.
Among the 14 items on Afshar’s CD are works composed for and world premiere recordings of Salvador Brotons’ Scherzo, Barbara Kolb’s “Broken Slurs” and Kamran Ince’s “MKG Variations,” arranged by Afshar.
Afshar’s formidable technical resources are demonstrated in the piece by Catalan composer Brotons and in Croatian composer Dusan Bogdanovic’s provocatively named Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for the Golden Flower, whose elements range from improvisatory-sounding passages in the manner of Bach to harmonies based on Indian modes.
Beautiful melodies flow in the delicate waltz of Paraguayan composer Agustin Barrios Mangoré and three delightful works by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.
Perhaps the most striking piece is Introduction and Dance by the Spanish musician Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999), composer of the immensely popular Concierto de Aranjuez.
Rodrigo’s bold voice is unmistakable in this dramatic and tuneful work, play by Afshar with brilliant flair and a rainbow of colors.

July 25, 2002

Possession

Lily Afshar, guitar
Archer 31919- 63 minutes

from American Record Guide: July/Aug. 2002

by Rings

Lily Afshar-a former writer for this magazine-plays beautifully on this vibrant and adventurous recording made up mostly of contemporary works. Her tone is sonorous, her technique solid, and each of her interpretations of these widely varying works is richly characterized.

The recording quality is superb. I have heard quite a few recordings recently with a disturbing hiss. The sound on this one is pristine, projecting all of the details of Afshar’s playing without distracting background noise.

I will not attempt to comment on all of these pieces, but I will discuss the less familiar ones. Four were written for Afshar: Salvador Broton’s Scherzo, Dusan Bogdanvic’s Omar’s Fancy, Barbara Kolb’s Broken Slurs, and Kamran Ince’s MKG Variations, Broton’s Scherzo is a dynamic opener for the program, full of fantasy, jagged lines, and ingenious guitar writing. Omar’s Fancy is typical of much of Bogdanvic’s music, with its ambient stasis and harmonies reminiscent of Eastern Europe. Also on the program is his more substantial Introduction, Fugue and Passacaglia for the Golden Flower, a work that explores the same exotic sound world at great length and with more technical extroversion.

Barbara Kolb’s Three Lullabies have always been among my favorite pieces for the guitar from the latter part of the last century (they were written for David Starobin in 1980.) Her music is sophisticated and enchanting and the humming in the third lullaby is always wonderfully haunting. The humming is usually performed by a male voice, but Afshar does it herself here, using an eerily distant flat tone. Kolb’s Broken Slurs, the piece dedicated to Afshar, follows the third Lullaby without pause, its two very brief parts seeming to function as a continuation of the earlier work. Kamran Ince’s MKG Variations, the final work, is dedicated to this guitarist, and derives much of its effect from stark contrast and atmospheric hovering, interrupted by angular outbursts, and sparse textures giving way to full-voiced harmonies.

The effect of the entire program is very satisfying. Afshar has clearly thought carefully about the order of the pieces to make the most effective sequence of moods and contrasts. This is a fine release from an accomplished performer.

July 20, 2002

Lily Afshar

Possession

from Classical Guitar Magazine: July 2002

by Paul Fowles

Having previously presented the world with what is arguably the most compelling Koyunbaba on disc, Lily Afshar now turns her attention to newly minted contemporary repertoire. Of the various unfamiliar items on this 2002 release, the Brotons, the Ince and
Barbara Kolb’s Broken Slurs are all billed as premieres.

In the opening Scherzo Op.47 by Salvador Brotons, it is the performance more than the composition that triumphs. Afshar’s dynamic account doing much to disguise the inescapable fact that this is little more than just another series of chromatic dissonances, culminating in the mandatory burst of rasgueado. More inspiring is the gentle Persian imagery and superbly understated percussion effects in Omar’s Fancy by Dusan Bogdanovic. A little more demanding but well worth the effort is the same composer’s ten-minute Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for the Golden Flower, in which exotic mix of Balkan and Indian influences takes several hearings before coming fully in focus.
After this, it is inevitable that the Barrios appears somewhat trite and whimsical, Afshar’s engaging and at times almost theatrical reading being a quality performance., although it is disappointing to see the Grenet-based Cancion de Cuna appearing under the anglicized title Afro-Cuban Lullaby. This name will be forever associated with the Parkening version , where Brouwer’s harmonization is used by not credited. Protocol apart, Afshar’s account of this captivating guitar miniature is a classic, complete with reconstructions of the unwritten scale runs Brouwer would include in live performances.
Despite their misterioso language, I actually found Barbara Kolb’s Three Lullabies from 1980 a genuinely restful experience, the nocturnal scurryings of the second piece providing a moment of contemplation in a programme where much is happening. Also worthy of note is the background vocal humming in the third piece, which apparently predates the use of this effect in Tavener’s Chant. Less immediate is Kolb’s more recent Broken Slurs, although one is naturally curious as to the content of the private conversation between composer and performer in which the idea was born.
To end the proceeding with yet another substantial premiere is a bold step, but there is much to be said for giving the hefty MKG Variations by Kamran Ince the final word. Arranged by the composer from a work originally for unaccompanied cello, the noble quasi-baroque language of the central variations brings this enterprising disc to an almost orchestral conclusion, the virtuosic guitar writing and huge dynamic range reminding us once again that Lily Afshar is a guitarist of the highest order.

May 25, 2002

Reviews

from GUITARRA MAGAZINE: May 2002

by Andrew Hull

What a refreshing recording. New compositions by Salvador Brotons, Barbara Kolb and Kamran Ince are the backbone of Lily Afshar’s newest recording, POSSESSION. Either composed for her or transcribed by her, these premieres show Ms. Afshar at her best. Whether giving a driving performance of Broton’s Scherzo, which opens the CD and reminds on of Ginastera’s Scherzo, or a nuanced reading of the miniature Broken Slurs, Ms. Afshar does a wonderful job of evincing the best qualities of these pieces.

Kamran Ince’s “MKG Variations,” though, are a revelation. Imagine you are walking down the street and someone is walking towards you. They look normal enough, but as they pass you, leap at you, grab you by the collar and shake you. They let you go, circle around you and grab you again, shaking you. That is what this piece does. It starts quietly with a pseudo-tonal/modal language, but after a few phrases, Ms. Afshar attacks her guitar creating an explosion of sound that quickly disappears into the quiet again, only to erupt intermittently throughout the piece. This performance and this piece alone are reason to own this CD.
The recording also includes compositions by Dusan Bogdanovic (including the truly original and beautiful Introduction Passacaglia and Fugue for the Golden Flower), Leo Brouwer (three of his lighter, more accessible pieces) and Gismonti (the dusky Agua e Vinho). She takes no prisoners with this recording, often overplaying passages. But this can be forgiven for the music is evocative and the performances passionate.

Bravo, Ms. Afshar.

May 22, 2002

The Expanding Universe of Lily Afshar

from The Memphis Flyer: May 16-22, 2002

by Jose Andrade

For over a decade, the University of Memphis’ Lily Afshar has been a premier classical guitarist, but with the release of her latest album, Possession, she has entered new territory, melding virtuosity and lyricism into a more contemporary sound. Her first collaborations with producer Ward Archer, Possession presents modern works by eight composer, including three world premieres written expressly for Afshar - “Sherzo, Op. 47” by Salvador Brotons, “Broken Slurs,” by Barbara Kolb, and “MKG Variations” by Kamran Ince (arranged for guitar by Afshar). The result is an album that is lyrical, melodic, and innovative: It does not revisit the past but instead tries to explain the present - in Afshar’s terms, “the here and now.”

Afshar’s “here and now” changes constantly - the music is dark and suave yet colored by flashes of joy, melancholy, tenderness, and fury. Her technical mastery of the guitar gives her the flexibility to make these mood shifts, at times achieving a depth of vulnerability while also hinting at self-indulgence.
Working closely with the composers, Afshar played the pieces several times, even making suggestions, before recording. “[I needed to] live with the piece for a while [in order to] come up with the best way to convey the composer’s message,” Afshar says. For “MKG Variations,” for example, Afshar and Ince spent a year converting the original piece for cello into a guitar piece, rearranging and changing chords and dynamics.
A tenet of Afshar’s method is that to sing a piece is to know it. “[Singing the compositions] really opens you up a lot and gives you a lot of ideas for how to play the piece,” she says. Indeed, the recording of the album’s ninth track Barbara Kolb’s In the Innocent Air,” features Afshar’s humming, “It came out more peaceful and angelic [that way]”, Afshar explains.
Afshar says that her silent collaborator on this project, producer and label-owner Archer, gave her the time to develop the pieces as she felt necessary, including experiments with microphone placement. A veteran of the local recording scene since 1979 , Archer decided to employ a Memphis-style method of recording. “not being a classical music engineer, I examined a number of classical guitar recordings and found a lot of reverb,” Archer says. But, in Memphis, most bands place their drums up front for recordings. I decided to record her with the mic as close as I could get it without it getting in her way. I wanted to get a warmer sound. “Placing the microphones closer to Afshar’s guitar brings an added dimension to Possession. There are sounds here probably never recorded before—unexpected harmonies, undertones mixing with overtones, Afshar almost attacking the strings. Recording the guitar at such close range was not without difficulties, tough, because the simple replacement of a string could upset a recording session.
“Evolution. or revolution” is an age-old question about the nature of change, and for Afshar, “an artist has to change. We just can’t keep playing the same way. It’s impossible.” Afshar’s work on Possession reflects a commitment to change that Archer
encouraged.
“I was interested in experimenting,” Archer says. “We didn’t start with a set plan, but we both got excited with what we were recording.” As Archer and Afshar developed the project, Afshar brought more modern pieces in. “We would get great recordings of them and go on to some newer works. Then at the end of a session, she would want to play one of the pieces from an earlier session again, and she would blow me away,” Archer says, and what began as a strictly classical album evolved into a more contemporary, dynamic one.
Although Possession is not as thematically linked as Afshar’s previous two albums, 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195 and A Jug of Wine and Thou, the album is full of literary influences, including four lullabies (tracks six through nine) and a poem, “Omar’s Fancy,” which is apparently self-referential, Afshar also explores Cuban and South American-inspired works and jazz and folk themes. She plays Rodrigo’s “Invocation and Dance” with zest, pausing slightly between phrases, perhaps as an afterthought. The first track, “Scherzo, Op.47” by Brotons, is exceptional: High harmonics mixed with low open strings move along uneasily but never at the expense of the listener.
Afshar is currently in the middle of a world tour that takes her to the Northeast, California, Vancouver, Illinois, Iran, Paraguay, Germany, New Zealand and Australia, during which she’ll be playing music from all three of her albums and conducting master classes for guitarists. It’s a tour that befits an artist who claims both Iran and Memphis as home but who considers herself a “citizen of the world.” Afshar’s playing—inclusive, inviting—allows us into her world.

May 15, 2002

Misc

“Lily Afshar plays beautifully on this vibrant and adventurous recording.”
-American Record Guide, 2002

“Lily Afshar is a guitarist of the highest order.”
-Classical Guitar Magazine, 2002

“Unique…Exciting.”
-The San Francisco Examiner, 2002

“One of the world’s foremost classical guitarists.”
-Public Radio International, The World, 2002

“Her most impressive play yet… a guitarist who has arrived… a joyride of a record…”
-Bill Ellis, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis

May 07, 2002

Classical CD Reviews

A Grab Bag of New Recordings

from San Fransisco Examiner: May 7, 2002

by T. Hashimoto

Afshar is an Iranian-born classical guitarist who studied at Peabody and with Segovia, but those antecedents don’t entirely explain her intense musicality. This album is unique in that it is strictly classical by any definition I can think of, yet it would be perfectly at home on any crossover or contemporary music shelf.

Yes, she plays a few contemporary classics by such fretboard giants as Joaquin Rodrigo (“Invocation and Dance” with its quotations from El Amor Brujo”), Leo Brouwer (two beautiful Cuban folk melodies plus a theme from the film “One Day in November”) and Agustin Barrios Mangore (“Waltz”).
But she also plays word premieres written for her by Salvador Brotons (the conductor of the Vancouver Symphony), Dusan Bogdanovic (who teaches at S.F. Conservatory of Music), Barbara Kolb (an IRCAM resident and Rome Prize winner) and Kamran Ince (an arrangement of MKG Variations for cello) In addition to the exciting music and playing, the recording is clean and lively and the program notes informative.

March 20, 2002

Listen Up

Afshar CD captures “the now” in classical guitar

from Commerical Appeal: March 2002

by Michael Donahue

It’s flattering if musicians get at least one piece of music written for them in their lifetime; Lily Afshar, a classical guitarist, said she’s had “around 20 or so” pieces of music written for her.
“They hear me play and that does it,” said Afshar. “I have a stack of music people send me to play from all over the world. I can’t get to it all. I do play a lot. Composers contact me to play their pieces. I introduce it to the audiences.”

Three pieces written for Afshar—Scherzo, Op. 47 by Salvador Brotons, Omar’s Fancy by Dusan Bogdanovic and Broken Slurs by Barbara Kolb—are included on her new CD, “Possession.”
Afshar, professor of guitar a University of Memphis, met Brotons when they were at Florida State University, where they got their doctorates. “One time he was coming out of his composition class. I was sitting in the lobby playing a piece by him. I didn’t know he went to my school. He just walked out and said, ‘That’s my piece.’ From then on we became friends.”
In the liner notes to the CD, Broton writes, “When by chance I heard her play my Two Suggestions for guitar (an earlier piece), I was immediately impressed by her musicianship and flawless technique.”
Afshar me Bogdanovic, a guitarist and composer who teaches at San Fransisco Conservatory of Music, at a guitar festival in Italy. Later, Afshar brought Bogdanovic to Memphis to perform. Omar’s Fancy is based on a poem by Omar Khayyam.
Kolb, whom Afshar also brought to Memphis, is a New York composer. In the liner notes, Kolb writes that Broken Slurs was “a miniature, a brief episode in life which combines feeling, technical skill, and virtuosity.” The piece was based on a conversation Kolb and Afshar had about life.
Afshar wanted “Possession” to be different from her other two albums. “I wanted to present new music to the listeners,” she said. “A lot of young composers are writing pieces for the guitar and for me. They’re varied. Each one has their own language and their own sound.”
She wanted to capture the “here and now” of classical guitar. People are more interested now in ethnic music and music from around the world. Everything is not in one style anymore.”

Lily Afshar’s CD premiere party for “Possession” will be from 5 to 7pm. Thursday at Automatic Slim’s, 83 S. Second. No cover charge. Call 525-7948.
Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.