Fountains of Fin

Description

Fountains of Fin presents a Persian duality - the fountains themselves, dating back to the 16th century, are now a construct of sheer beauty, but are also the scene of a tragic 19th-century assassination. This duality is reflected in Ranjbaran's writing. Of the 2008 world premiere by Bargemusic, Allan Kozinn (The New York Times) wrote:

"The flute line, which often stands apart or interacts almost conversationally with the strings, is meant to suggest the Persian version of the ney, a wooden flute used throughout the Middle East. And the music's decidedly modal accent gives the piece a hint of exoticism without wresting it from the conventions of Western musical discourse.... The call and response between the flute and the tandem strings, the increasingly intense ensemble writing that leads to a vigorously rhythmic central movement, and the deeply melancholy finale capture both the entrancing beauty and the brooding, fearsome mysteries of this Iranian garden. It proved a gripping piece..."