Italian musicians Aquino, Giachino happy to be at Fajr festival
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Italian jazz trumpeter Luca Aquino and pianist Fabio Giachino has said that they are happy to be taking part in the 35th Fajr Music Festival underway in Tehran.
The two are members of a trio that includes double bassist Dario Miranda, which gave a performance during the festival at Vahdat Hall in Tehran on Saturday.
“We’re very happy to have been invited to the festival, for me and for Fabio it was a dream to be here; this is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Aquino told the Tehran Times in an interview ahead of the concert on Saturday.
This is the first time the Italian musicians have visited Iran.
Giachino said that they wanted to represent their native culture and music at the Fajr Music Festival.
“Some musicians were afraid to attend because of the recent events in Iran and decided not to come. They were worried and decided to cancel their performances, however, we didn’t have any plans to change our minds and we are happy that we are taking part,” said Aquino who along with his colleagues arrived in Tehran on Thursday.
“Iran is full of history. You have a beautiful city, an amazing mountain with beautiful snow. Musicians travel a lot in the world and we were able to understand and feel the mood of the place here in Tehran,” he asserted.
Aquino praised a performance by the Art and Culture Orchestra, an Iranian ensemble that was conducted by Nader Mashayekhi at the Rudaki Hall on Friday, and said that he does not know any Iranian musicians and is not familiar with Iranian music.
However, he is interested in listening to Iranian music and organizing a concert with Iranian musicians in the future.
Aquino said that he cannot compare the Fajr festival with other musical events in the world and added, “However, I know that there are lots of audiences and musicians interested in jazz in here.”
The trio’s performance at the festival was co-organized with their Finnish manager.
They performed pieces from Aquino’s album named “Italian Songbook” as well as some traditional Italian songs and compositions.
Aquino is an Italian trumpet player with a different and modern sound. He loves to play freely, without impositions and constraints.
His latest project “Italian Songbook” was released in 2019. The album contains jazz arrangements of the most beloved Italian classics, in which he shows his devotion to his Italian roots.
source: Tehran Times