Transgression (2021) - ca. 13'

for saxophone quartet (sop. sx, alto sx, tenor sx, bari. sx)

*Commissioned by Philadelphia Student Composers Project

Premiere:

Premiere: PRISM Saxophone Quartet, 06 December 2021, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Subsequent: 07 December 2021, Christ and St. Stephens Episcopal Church, New York City, NY

Program Notes:

Unfortunately, in my home country, Iran, dance is considered a great sin, an immoral act, and corrupting. Though the clerical regime has banned public dancing, people still have strong ties to this important cultural root. Dance has been used as a tool for resilience and political resistance. This piece borrows elements of music and dance from the southern Iranian port cities, where we call them Bandar. Every Iranian person across the whole country knows Bandari music or dance. The people of Bandar-Abbas and Boushehr have a unique instrument similar to the bagpipes, which I tried to mimic the sound of and translate for saxophones. Transgression is not necessarily about a specific dance form. It is, in fact, about the transformation of dance into a form of political resistance.