Mark Eliyahu (Hebrew: מארק אליהו; born 13 July 1982) is an Israeli musician. He plays the kamancheh.[1]

Mark Eliyahu
Background information
Born (1982-07-13) 13 July 1982 (age 42)
OriginSoviet Dagestan, Russian SFSR,  Soviet Union
GenresFolk
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Kamancheh, bağlama
Years active1998–present
Websitehttp://markeliyahu.com

Early life

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"This was the first time I heard this sound, but I felt as though I had always heard it within me, as though it were my own inner voice. I had chills, and I knew definitively that I had to quit the saz, and start playing this new instrument. When I told my father about this, he was very moved. As it turns out, my great grandfather was a kamancheh player in Dagestan."

Eliyahu on the beginning of his career[2] Interview with Boulder Jewish News

Eliyahu was born in 1982 in Soviet Dagestan and immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1989.[3] At age 16, he was inspired by Habil Aliyev's performance, a prominent kamancheh player, and moved to Baku, Azerbaijan to learn kamancheh under the guidance of renowned player Adalat Vazirov.[3][4] Eliyahu's father was a composer, and his mother played the violin.[5]

Musical career

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In 1999, Eliyahu participated in The Spirit of the East – a concert and album directed and composed by his father, Peretz Eliyahu, with the participation of the Azerbaijani mugham singers Alim Qasimov and his daughter Farghana Qasimova and other artists.[3] On that year he also performed as a soloist with the Israel Chamber Orchestra of Ramat Gan in an Israeli festival. In 2004, he recorded his first solo album Voices of Judea and performed with his ensemble throughout Europe and Israel.[3]

In 2019, Mark Eliyahu visited Azerbaijan for the second time and gave a live concert.[1]

In 2020, he composed and performed the theme music for Tehran, the Emmy award-winning Israeli political espionage series.[6]

Eliyahu's work has gained some popularity among Iranian listeners, especially those who attend his concerts in Türkiye.[5]

Filmography

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Films
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Balada Le'aviv Habohe Himself Main Role
2020 Tehran (TV series) Composer Theme music

References

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  1. ^ "Mark Eliyahu Ensemble profile". www.2013.musicshowcaseil.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  2. ^ Bernhaimer, Kathryn. "Music Stars in Film Fest's Israeli Drama". boulderjewishnews.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "About Mark Eliyahu". markeliyahu.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  4. ^ Shalev, Ben. "Haunting Iranian music stars in new Israeli film - but don't expect to buy the soundtrack". www.haaretz.com. Haaretz. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b "موسيقي إسرائيلي يحظى بشعبية في إيران رغم استحالة زيارته لها" [An Israeli Musician is Gaining Popularity in Iran Despite the Impossibility of ever Visiting the Country] (in Arabic). 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Weekly TV Music Roundup (September 20, 2020) | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2022-05-07.