It’s the Voice that Shall Remain

It’s the Voice that shall Remain is a composition for soprano and piano trio by Ramin Amin Tafreshi, based on Sheema Kalbasi’s English translation of a poem by Simin Behbahani, the renowned Iranian poet and women’s rights activist. Premiered at Het Concertgebouw during the Alba Rosa Viva Festival in 2018 by Lilian Farahani and the Amatis Piano Trio, it received both the second prize and the audience prize at the Alba Rosa Viëtor Composition Competition, judged by distinguished composers including Willem Jeths, Tansy Davies, Calliope Tsoupaki, Paolo Marzocchi, and Detlev Glanert.

The work is a monodrama about a defiant woman whose voice endures beyond her presence—her fight for freedom and women’s rights resounding even when she is gone. Through the soprano, she embodies courage, resilience, and the unwavering demand for justice.

Simin Behbahani was a prominent figure in contemporary Iranian poetry, lyricism, and activism. Affectionately called the “lioness of Iran,” she was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature (1999 and 2002) and received numerous international literary accolades, leaving a lasting legacy as a voice of freedom and resistance.

In 2025, the piece was recorded by Elizaveta Agrafenina and the Brackman Trio under the label 7 Mountain Records.

Honours & Awards

• Second Prize & Audience Award at the Alba Rosa Viëtor Composition Competition 2018.