Blog | Orchestral Music of Afghanistan

Dawn: A torch in solidarity with the irrepressible women of Afghanistan

It is difficult to begin writing about Meena Karimi's composition Dawn without feeling a burn in my chest and a lump in my throat—it's...

Dance of Terror: A musical expression of tragic laughter?

The third piece on the Orchestral Music of Afghanistan: Looking Forward concert and the focus of this blog post, is Arson Fahim’s Dance...

Heart That Burns: Passion, sweetness and sorrow

Enrobed in an elegant waltz, Zalai Pakta's Heart That Burns encapsulates a poignancy and complexity of feeling: the sweetness and joy of...

Asta Boro: A timeless tribute to love

In my blog yesterday I said that I was going to write a series of blogs featuring each one of the compositions performed on the 'Looking...

Looking Forward: One for the history books

On 5 July 2022, an extraordinary event took place in London. Nine new compositions by Afghan composers were performed by the Oxford...