“ ‘In folk music, you’ll always find elements which connect to other cultures,’ said Reza Vali, an Iranian-American professor of composition at Carnegie Mellon University who often uses folk tunes in his work,” writes Jeremy Reynolds in Thursday’s (2/10) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “On Friday, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will premiere a pair of Persian folk songs by Vali for cello soloist and orchestra, ‘The Girl from Shiraz’ and another tune the composer called ‘Love-Drunk’ in Heinz Hall. (‘The Persian title means you’re drunk but from love,’ he said, laughing.) Friday’s concert will also be livestreamed. The program, conducted by music director Manfred Honeck, includes Schumann’s cello concerto with soloist Kian Soltani, Stravinsky’s Suite from ‘The Firebird,’ and another world premiere: ‘Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol’ by composer Michael Daugherty, a musical interpretation of the art and stylings of Warhol.… Vali’s work often borrows from traditional Iranian music…. Keen listeners will hear quotes from ‘Silent Night,’ while opera buffs might catch a reference to Wagner’s opera ‘Tristan and Isolde.’ … ‘The Girl from Shiraz’ is [Vali’s] fourth premiere with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.”
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