“Nafir” is a powerful and evocative word in classical Persian literature, particularly in the poetry and prose of 10th to 13th-century Iran. Its meaning shifts with context—encompassing cries of anguish, wailing, lamentation, and collective mourning. Across centuries, nafir has embodied both personal grief and communal outcry, often serving as a poetic symbol of resistance, sorrow, and the human condition.

In my composition, I reimagine the ensemble not as a dichotomy of soloists against an orchestral backdrop but as a singular, intricate organism—one that breathes, struggles, and protests as a unified force. This sonic embodiment reflects my own inner cries, roars, and laments in response to political autocracy and systemic injustice worldwide. By invoking nafir, I seek to channel an ancient tradition of artistic resistance, transforming historical echoes of suffering into a contemporary musical outcry.

Idin Samimi Mofakham