Maestro Tjeknavorian unveils musical tribute to Maryam Mirzakhani

According to The Iran Project,Entitled "Harmonizing Notes on the Scale of Numbers," the composition was unveiled during a ceremony held at the Ra'ad Charity Foundation in Tehran on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

The ceremony was graced with the presence of Maestro Tjeknavorian, the Mirzakhani family, alongside various artists, musicians, scholars, and cultural dignitaries.

Addressing the audience, Tjeknavorian shared insights into the emotional process behind crafting a tribute for Maryam Mirzakhani, expressing, "Like many in Iran and across the globe with an affinity for scientific pursuits, I was profoundly impacted by the loss of such a significant figure in the realm of mathematics, and time had elapsed since that fateful event."

He continued, recounting a moment of inspiration, stating, "Just a few months ago, as the news played on in the background, I instinctively reached for my phone, and there she was, the late Mirzakhani, appearing before me.”

“It was an inexplicable sensation, as if a deep connection had been forged between us, a connection that still mystifies me to this day and in that instant, I felt compelled to sit down and compose a piece imbued with elements of lament, sorrow, and protest," he explained.

Tjeknavorian underscored the creative challenge of balancing the sentiment of a romantic piece with the technical precision reflective of Mirzakhani's mathematical genius, highlighting the need for the music to resonate with her scientific persona.

"I was compelled to create a piece that wasn't just melodious or sentimental, but one that truly reflected Maryam Mirzakhani's scientific persona. Thus, I crafted the composition using the Chahargah dastgah to vividly capture the essence of an Iranian mathematician, allowing every listener to resonate with her spirit."

"The musical tribute dedicated to the late Mirzakhani held immense significance for me and it was imperative for the piece to commence and culminate with a sense of protest, echoing the stark reality of how someone of extraordinary brilliance could be taken from this world,” he noted.

“The ever-present specter of death, striking even in one's prime at the age of 40, led me to the profound belief that God's love for Mirzakhani transcends earthly bounds, and we must acknowledge and respect this divine calling. This realization profoundly influenced the composition process."

"Comprised of four distinct parts, the piece navigates through protest, Mirzakhani's life narrative, the solemnity of her funeral underscored by resounding beats, and concludes with a resolute three-beat protest against the world's loss,” he said.

“The composition seeks to unmask the harsh truths of our reality, with Mirzakhani's spirit undeniably present at this ceremony, hopefully finding solace in the heartfelt tribute I have penned," he added.

Delving into the intrinsic bond between music and mathematics, Tjeknavorian expounded, highlighting, "While mathematics can exist independently of music, the converse is implausible; music inherently relies upon mathematical structures. Each sound we hear is fundamentally a numerical value, infinite in its permutations, anchored by the 12 fundamental musical notes that harmonize to create an expansive array of approximately 700 million to one billion possibilities."

Emphasizing music as the universal language of divinity, he reiterated, "Music transcends linguistic barriers, resonating as the one universal language comprehensible to all. Despite misconceptions critiquing music's alleged descent into decadence, the purity of this art form remains a conduit for expression untainted by words, oftentimes misappropriated, yet incomprehensibly profound to those who grasp its true essence."

Furthermore, Ahmad Mirzakhani, father of the late Maryam Mirzakhani, expressed his gratitude towards Maestro Tjeknavorian, acknowledging him as a distinguished cultural icon on a global scale, particularly within Iran. He remarked, "I hold the esteemed Maestro Tjeknavorian in high regard and hope to duly recognize him for his contributions to the scientific community."

Highlighting the intrinsic link between mathematics and music, he noted that Maestro Tjeknavorian had also paid heed to this connection while crafting the musical piece. Ahmad Mirzakhani suggested delving deeper into exploring the historical relationship between mathematics and music within the nation and across other societies that have extensively researched this intertwined domain.

Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian-born genius mathematician and Stanford University professor, obtained her BSc in mathematics (1999) from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran. She then moved to the U.S. and finished a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2004.

She won a gold medal in the Hong Kong International Mathematical Olympiad, in 1994, to be the first female Iranian student to have snatched a gold medal.

In the 1995 Toronto International Mathematical Olympiad, she became the first Iranian student to win two gold medals.

In 2017, Mirzakhani, the winner of the Fields Medal, also known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, succumbed to breast cancer at 40.

Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project