The Iranian conductor and composer Alexander Rahbari grew up with and trained in traditional Persian music with its most influential maestros. His eight symphonic poems, My Mother Persia, of which this is volume 1 of 2, are full of melodies, rhythms and improvisations in these traditional styles, brought to life with the colours of modern orchestration. The first of these is an emotional violin concerto in which the soloist plays the role of the Nohe Khan, usually a tenor who sings in traditional Persian style at various religious ceremonies. Mother’s Tears refers to a gathering of orphans and to Rahbari’s own experiences of tragedy, contrasting with a subtext of mischief in Children’s Prayer.

Alexander Rahbari is a remarkable figure in the music world, taking a leading position in the cultural development of his country from a young age, winning numerous awards as a conductor and becoming closely associated with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra as assistant to Herbert von Karajan. Rahbari has conducted numerous successful Naxos recordings, but this is the world premiere release of his cycle of symphonic poems My Mother Persia.