Fountains Of Fin

Description

Flute, Violin, Violoncello — Program NotesFOUNTAINS OF FIN (pronounced “feen”) celebrates one of the most enchanting gardens, the historical Garden of Fin in Kashan, Iran. The garden in its present form was built in the 16th century but historical references go back to the medieval period. The music is also a tribute to the great 19th-century Vezir and reformer, Amir Kabir, who was slain in the bath of the Garden of Fin. In writing FOUNTAINS OF FIN, I was inspired by the utmost beauty of this captivating garden with its tall cypresses, fragrant flowers, and hundreds of spring-fed fountains, as well as its dark and violent history.The opening flute solo, heard in the dark breathy low register with ornamental melodic figures, emulates the sound of the Persian Ney, a type of bamboo flute. The opening theme is the melodic and harmonic basis of the piece with decorative figures and emphasis on the interval of the perfect fourth, so widely found in Persian music. The timbre of the Ney permeates throughout the piece, particularly in extended solo sections. Many elements of Persian modes and folk rhythms are also intertwined in the fabric of the piece. The somber and elegiac concluding section brings back many of the opening materials ending on the lowest note of the flute.FOUNTAINS OF FIN was commissioned and premiered by Bargemusic on March 5, 2008, New York. The score is written for Olga Bloom.— Behzad Ranjbaran 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: "[T]he 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..." On YouTube, flutist Eugenia Zukerman, who recently performed in the Canada premiere, discusses the work with Ranjbaran, and also talks about Fountains of Fin with fellow musicians.