Circle Map

Circle Map has a duration of 26 minutes and is composed in six movements: The electronic element of the work features a recording of Arshia Cont reading the writings of the 13th-century poet and theologian Rumi. The six movements of the piece are thus titled after Rumi's poems, translated to English by John Moyne and Coleman Barks from the book Unseen Rain: Quatrains of Rumi. Instrumentation The work is scored for a large orchestra comprising two flutes (doubling piccolo and alto flute), two oboes, three clarinets (doubling bass clarinet), two bassoons (doubling contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, four percussionists, piano, harp, celesta, strings, and electronics. ==Reception==

Reviewing the North American premiere in Boston by Juanjo Mena and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jeremy Eichler of The Boston Globe regarded Circle Map as "exquisitely drawn" and wrote: The composition was also praised by David Wright of The Classical Review, who called it "a rich, multilayered work" and wrote, "All the effort and expense involved in mounting such a work paid off handsomely in the performance, which wove a deeply evocative sound-world around verses by the 13th-century poet Rumi, spoken on the electronic track in the original Persian." ==References==