Osnabruck Orchestra breaks 28-year silence

The Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra performed at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

This was an historic occasion as it was the first performance by a western classical ensemble in Iran since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Before the concert, Michael Dreyer, head of Osnabruck’s Morgenland Festival, spoke to the audience a little in Persian saying that music is the only universal language. He went on to say that music addresses the hearts of people and thus it is the best way to extend international cultural ties.

Lead by conductor Hermann Baeumer, the 60-member Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by six Iranian musicians from the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, opened with a performance of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3.

This was followed by Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor and after a break the orchestra played Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4.

The concert hall was packed with a most enthusiastic and welcoming audience, despite the fact that western classical music does not possess a large following in Iran in comparison with other types of music.

The Osnabruck orchestra had invited the Tehran Symphony Orchestra to the western German city in 2006 where it took part in the Osnabruck Orient Festival. The participation of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra at the 2006 festival initiated cooperation between the two orchestras.