This concert of Phion opens with the world premiere of ‘Only Violets Remain’ by composer Aftab Darvishi. Born in Tehran and graduated in The Hague and Amsterdam, the composer’s work is an expression of support for all women in the world fighting for their rights. The immediate cause is the death of Mahsa Amini, who died last September after she was arrested in Iran for not wearing her headscarf correctly. The title of the work is based on a poem by Kobayashi Issa: ‘Before I arrived, who were the people living here? Only violets remain.’

This new work was commissioned by Phion and is the second commissioned composition – of a total of three – to be released in season 2022-2023. By doing so, Phion offers young composers a stage and gives them the opportunity to further develop themselves and classical music. This makes a valuable contribution to the further development of the field.

Conductor Bart de Graaf provides an introduction around the concerts, giving in-depth background information on the works to be played. Composer Aftab Darvishi will also be present at this introduction. Together they will discuss her newly composed work.