Return of the Nightingales

This score is prefaced by the Persian Sufi text 'Ajab tarana e sar karda am darin golshan, Khoda konad ke na sazad falak khamush mara', which translates in English to 'I have started to sing a wonderful song in this flower-garden like a nightingale. I hope the movement of the stars (destiny) does not make me silent again.' It is used as a direct reference to the devastation of Afghan culture during the period of the Taliban when musicians were silenced, many exiled or fleeing, and to their re-emergence following the Taliban's expulsion from 2001. The piece is dedicated to John Baily who, together with his wife Veronica Doubleday, has worked tirelessly to preserve Afghan music. His video documentary, Return of the Nightingales (2012) celebrates the fabulous work undertaken by the Afghanistan National Institute for Music. Its mottos are:

• BUILD LIVES THROUGH MUSIC
• REVIVE AND PRESERVE AFGHAN MUSIC
• TRAIN FUTURE MUSIC EDUCATORS
• ESTABLISH INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
• ASSURE MUSICAL RIGHTS