Instrumentation: soprano and piano
Commissioned by: Canadian Art Song Project
Poetry: Sareh Farmand, Mehri Yalfani, Forugh Farrokhzad (translated by Sholeh Wolpé)
Composition date: Summer of 2025
Duration: ~20 minutes
World Premiere: August 1st, 2025 at the Toronto Summer Music Festival in Walter Hall by Steven Philcox and Elizabeth Polese
Program notes:
I Will Greet the Sun Again – A Song Cycle by Pouya Hamidi
I Will Greet the Sun Again is a song cycle composed by Pouya Hamidi commissioned by Canadian Art Song Project, exploring the themes of night, family, and intimate love, moving from dark to light, using the poetry of four Iranian women writers.
The cycle begins with Sareh Farmand’s Khaleh Parvin, a tender recollection of the poet’s kind aunt, their fond memories and feelings culminating in a lullaby that gently ushers the listener into the night. This is followed by Mehri Yalfani’s The Shadows, a vivid portrayal of the nocturnal world, rich in imagery and atmosphere. The mood shifts dramatically with Forugh Farrokhzad’s The Wind Will Blow Us Away, translated by Sholeh Wolpé. This tempestuous piece, characterized by rapid, swirling passages, evokes a sense of darkness that brightens with intimate love. The cycle concludes with I Will Greet the Sun Again, a poem by Farrokhzad and translated by Wolpé, offering a message of hope and renewal as the dawn approaches again.
The musical composition draws inspiration from Hamidi’s recent studies of Iranian traditional music, particularly its melodic and rhythmic tendencies. Other influences include vocal works from composers Olivier Messiaen, György Ligeti, and Maurice Ravel.
The choice of poets reflects a deliberate effort to highlight the voices of Iranian women, who have historically been marginalized in the literary canon. In light of the ongoing struggles in Iran, this cycle serves as a tribute to their resilience and a call for recognition.
Sareh Farmand
Sareh Farmand was born in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and later moved to Vancouver, BC. Her debut poetry collection, Pistachios in My Pocket (2022), narrates her family’s escape from Iran and their experiences as early Iranian immigrants to Canada. The work was longlisted for the Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry. Farmand holds degrees in International Relations and Education from the University of British Columbia and is a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s The Writing Studio. She is currently working on her second book with At Bay Press.
Mehri Yalfani
Born in Hamadan, Iran, Mehri Yalfani pursued electrical engineering at Tehran University and worked as an engineer for two decades as one of the first woman engineers in Iran. She emigrated to France in 1985 and to Canada in 1987, where she dedicated herself to writing. Yalfani has authored several works in Persian and English, including the novel Afsaneh’s Moon (2002), which explores themes of love and revolution. Her stories have been featured in various anthologies, and her work is studied in academic settings.
Forugh Farrokhzad
Forugh Farrokhzad (1935–1967) was a pioneering Iranian poet and filmmaker known for her bold and modernist approach to Persian poetry. Her work challenged societal norms and explored themes of female independence, love, and existential reflection. Farrokhzad’s poetry remains influential in Iranian literature and continues to inspire readers and artists worldwide.
Sholeh Wolpé
Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, playwright, and literary translator. Her literary work includes 11 books of poetry, anthologies, and translations, as well as several plays, an oratorio, song lyrics, and an original screenplay. Wolpé’s memoir in verse, Abacus of Loss (2022), was hailed by Ilya Kaminsky as a book “that created its own genre—a thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell.” She has collaborated with international composers and musicians and is the recipient of several awards, including the PEN/Heim Translation Grant. Wolpé is currently a writer-in-residence at the University of California, Irvine.
Poetry reference:
Khaleh Parvin (Mamaly) – From ‘Pistachios in My Pocket’ by Sareh Farmand. Published by At Bay Press. Used with per-mission.
The Shadows – From ‘Parastoo: Stories and Poems’ by Mehri Yalfani. Used with permission.
The Wind Will Blow Us Away and I Will Greet the Sun Again – From Poems from ‘Sin – Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad’, translated by poet Sholeh Wolpé
Archival Video:
Perusal Score
Thanks to the generous support and sponsor of Toronto Arts Council and Rivanne Sandler for the creation of this composition.
