Spatial Direction as compositional Interaction.
The following works are originally composed for a surround/multichannel sound system, and requires a suitable space and sound system in order to be fully experienced. Reducing it to stereo was a necessary compromise to be able to broadcast.
Sehasht. (2016) fixed media for 24 channels. (stereo reduction)
Sehasht is a composition exploring the interplay between pitch, rhythm, texture and space, and the boundaries among them. Sehasht is composed for three loudspeaker groups with different positioning and characteristics. Sehasht was selected for Ars Electronica Forum Wallis 2018, Switzerland.
Tom+Bak. (2020) fixed media for 8 channels. (stereo reduction)
Tom+Bak is an electroacoustic composition for eight channels. The sound material consists of the recordings of the Tombak, a traditional Iranian percussion instrument. The electroacoustic processing in Tom+Bak expands not only the timbral palette of the instrument, but also its polyphonic capacities through multichannel orchestration of the material.
Hafthasht . (2019) fixed media for 24 channels. (stereo reduction)
Hafthasht is a fixed media electroacoustic piece composed for 24 channels.
The piece was finished in October 2019 and premiered in Azimuth #8 concert which took place in iii space, The Hague. The core idea of the piece is based on the phenomenon of reverberation or echo. A sound bounces from various surfaces and with each reflection it looses part of its energy until it fades into the silence. This idea is incorporated into the production of the sound materials as well as the spatialization of the piece.
Hafthasht was presented during the Giga-Hertz Award 2020, ZKM, Karlsruhe: “Siamak Anvari composed the almost 17-minute composition »Hafthasht« in a 24-channel surround sound version, which allows the nebulous, abstract and yet expressive character of the composition to be experienced immersively. The jury was impressed by the immediacy and freshness of the sounds, as well as by the immediate effect the composition is able to unfold.” Prof. Ludger Brümmer, Head of Department, Hertz-Lab, ZKM.
Excerpt from Charhasht . (2017) fixed media for 32 channels. (stereo reduction)
Gereh II. (2013) fixed media for 8 channels, composed for Acousmonium GRM, Paris. (stereo reduction)
This piece is part of a research project titled “composing music based on carpet designs” that Siamak carried out during his master’s study at the Institute of Sonology. In this piece, Siamak tried to apply some prominent features of carpet designs in the process of composing. For instance, the work is inspired by the multilayered networks of design in a carpet structure which creates a unified complex texture. Another aspect of this work that was inspired by carpets is (a) symmetrical spatial strategies in shaping the 8-channel material.
Bio.
Siamak Anvari, born in Tehran in 1981, is a composer and sound artist based in the Netherlands. He is active in the field of electroacoustic music, composes multichannel pieces, makes sound installations and collaborates with other artists in interdisciplinary projects, as well as teaching courses and workshops. He is one of the founders of Stichting Azimuth, an organization for production and performance of electroacoustic music inside the Netherlands.
In his music he is often concerned with utilizing space as a musical parameter, inspired by the concept of a Persian garden. As such, the music is conceptualised as a place where the listener can dwell in. He works therefore with various multichannel sound systems and loudspeaker configurations. Another facet of his work is integration and extension of Persian instruments’ sounds in his compositions through the affordances of the electroacoustic medium.
His works have been featured at festivals including Ars Electronica Forum Wallis in Switzerland, TodaysArt festival in the Netherlands, Slow (36h) at Concertgebouw Belgium, Holland Festival in the Netherlands, Wavespace with Ensemble Musikfabrik in Germany, Continuum Festival at Centre Iannis Xenakis in France, Circuits Festival in Malta and Giga-Hertz at ZKM in Germany.
He received a master’s degree in composition from the Art University of Tehran in 2009 and completed his second master’s degree with distinction at the Institute of Sonology at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague in 2014. He received his PhD from Leiden University in 2024. His dissertation focused on the performance practice of fixed media music.
