André Hossein

Hossein is regarded as one of the first 20th-century composers to integrate traditional Persian musical modes into Western symphonic structure.
He belonged to the generation of émigré intellectuals who bridged Eastern and European artistic traditions in the interwar years.
After his academic formation in Russia and Germany, he settled permanently in France, where he became a respected composer, conductor, and pianist.
His works, such as Symphony of Persepolis and Rhapsodie Persane, demonstrate an interest in reviving ancient Persian mythological and spiritual themes through modern orchestral language.
Critics often compared his music to that of Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for its use of Oriental colors and narrative tone.
A versatile artist, Hossein also wrote ballets, concertos, and film scores, some in collaboration with his son Robert Hossein, a leading French actor-director.
Throughout his career, he defended the idea of a “universal Orientalism” — a dialogue between Zoroastrian mysticism, Persian poetry, and European romanticism.
His compositions were performed by orchestras in Paris, Monte-Carlo, and Tehran, and broadcast by Radio France in the 1960s and 1970s.
Hossein’s legacy, though lesser known internationally, remains a cornerstone in the evolution of Persian symphonic music.
He is buried in Paris, where his musical archives and manuscripts continue to be studied by researchers of intercultural composition.