Blog | Orchestral Music of Afghanistan

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

Hope: Musical unity and common human purpose

How can 'hope' be represented in music? Hope for what and for whom? For Mohammad Qambar Nawshad ‘hope’ is fundamental to human life and...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

Baran: Music that goes through the body and into the heart

Re-reading the English translation of Mohammad Sharif Saiidi’s Baran, I find myself shivering again and again as I linger on each line...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

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...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

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...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

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...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

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...

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey

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...