Shahnameh: The Book of Kings
A multimedia animated film and live production created for The Living Earth Show by Iranian American composer Sahba Aminikia, Syrian American animator Kevork Mourad, and Iranian actress Mozhdeh Shamsai narrating text of the 10th century Persian epic poem of the same title.
Shāh-nāmeh, (Persian: “Book of Kings”) is the celebrated work of the epic poet Ferdowsī, in which the Persian national epic found its final and enduring form. Written for Sultan Maḥmūd of Ghazna and completed in 1010, the Shāh-nāmeh is a poem of nearly 60,000 verses, mainly based on the Khvatay-nāmak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. Ferdowsī versified and updated the story to the downfall of the Sāsānian empire (mid-7th century), and, for nearly 1,000 years, it has remained one of the most popular works in the Persian-speaking world.
Shahnameh stories also intermix with politics and power and examine the effects of power on humanity and how destiny and the nature of human beings eventually dominates all political affairs and social movements within any society. The piece draws a contemporary interpretation of the original book and establishes a direct connection between the ancient text and current affair of global politics.
The Book of Kings is a multimedia story-telling experience, based on three tragedies from The Book of Kings, the 10th-century Persian epic poetry by the Persian poet, Ferdowsi and narrated by acclaimed Iranian actress, Mojdeh Shamsaie. The 50-minute production of The Book of Kings production is commissioned by SF-based duo The Living Earth Show and is initiated by a grant from SF Arts Commission.
The production is a combination of live/recorded music, pre-recorded sound clips and visual arts created for the piece by Syrian-American artist, Kevork Mourad and dramatic poetry reading by acclaimed Iranian actress, Mojdeh Shamsaie. The production consists of 5 pieces, two of which are instrumental, and the other three tell the stories of three heroes and villains from the original text.. Each story and every piece draws elements from the classical and traditional art and rituals from Iran. However, in several layers, every story explores contemporary politics, war, and social justice through various symbolism and storytelling techniques. The production can be presented both in a digital and live format.
Collaborators
Mojdeh Shamsaie, Narrator:
Mojdeh Shamsaie studied theatre at the College of Arts and Architecture in Tehran. She has been involved in numerous film productions as an actress, makeup artist, set and costume designer as well as assistant director. Credits in Bahram Beyzaie films include Travellers, Conversation With the Wind, Killing Mad Dogs and While We Are All Sleeping. She is the recipient of the Fajr Film Festival Crystal Simorgh award for Killing Mad Dogs (acting) and Varouzh Karimmasihi's Last Act (makeup). Theater credits include The Cherry Orchard (Roknedin Khosravi) and Lady Aoi, 1001st Night, The Passion Play of Mentor Navid Makan and His Wife Archeologist Rokhshid Farzin and Afra or The Day Passes (all directed by Bahram Beyzaie). Mojdeh was last seen in Bahram Beyzaie's Jana and Baladoor, Arash, 1001st Night and Ardaviraf's Report at Stanford University.
Kevork Mourad, Visual Artist:
Kevork Mourad is a New York-based Armenian artist from Syria. Represented by Galerie Claude Lemand, he has exhibited at Galerie Tanit, Beirut, and the Rose Art Museum, Boston. A multi-disciplinary artist, he has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Nara Museum in Japan, Art Institute of Chicago, American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center Atrium, RISD, Harvard University, Rubin Museum of Art, Dutch Royal Palace for Prince Claus Foundation, ElbPhilharmonie, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, in a commission of Handel’s Israel in Egypt by LA Master Chorale, later performed by Master Voices at Carnegie Hall. A member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, he was featured in the documentary The Music of Strangers. His short film, Four Acts for Syria, funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung Prize, premiered in the Stuttgart Animation Festival. In 2018, the Metropolitan Museum of Art commissioned him a performance for the Armenia! exhibit.
Sahba Aminikia, Composer:
Sahba Aminikia is a San Francisco-based composer, musically exploring the dichotomy of light and dark. Trained classically and influenced globally, Aminikia’s work has been widely performed around the world and commissioned by theatre troops, contemporary classical ensembles, film scores, Persian traditional music groups as well as jazz bands including Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Symphony Parnassus, San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music Ensemble, Mobius Trio, Delphi Trio and Living Earth Show. He has recently been the artist-in-residence at Kronos Festival 2017, an annual festival held by legendary Kronos Quartet at San Francisco SFJAZZ throughout which ten of his works including four new pieces were performed. Aminikia is also the Artistic Director for Flying Carpet Festival, a mobile music festival which serves children in need in war zones. He also serves as the Musical Director for Sirkhane, a non-profit organization based in Mardin, Southern Turkey which serves around 400,000 children through circus arts and music.