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Music and vocals by Farya Faraji. The Psalm 135 section is from the traditional repertoire of Orthodox Byzantine Chant and was not written by me. This is a long form piece about the Battle of Nineveh, fought on December 12, 627 A.D, between the Eastern Roman Empire, and the dying Sasanian empire. It was effectively the last great confrontation of the Roman-Iranian wars (I don't use the term Roman-Persian wars because it’s usage is indefensible; 2 centuries of these conflicts were fought against the Parthians, who are called so because they were Parthians, not Persians. Iranian more accurately describes both groups, as both the Parthian Arsacids and the Persian Sasanids were Iranian).

The Battle of Nineveh was the culmination of the war of 602-628 between the empire of Heraclius and the empire of Khosrow II. Heraclius helmed the army himself whilst general Rhahzadh of Armenia led the Iranian forces. Both empires met in Sasanian Mesopotamia, and fought a bloody battle at Nineveh. It is said that in the midst of the battle, Rhahzadh challenged Heraclius to single duel, and the Armenian was defeated in one strike by the Roman Emperor. While this may be an exaggeration, its dramatic value is certainly entertaining, so I built part of the symphony around this.

The war of 602-628 would be a turning point in the history of the region, and indeed the world. Having depleted their resources and manpower after the war, both empires were left vulnerable as a new power arose in the ignored, mysterious stretches of the Arabian peninsula, a new threat to both powers united by the fervour of a new religion. Less than five years later, the Arab Muslims would begin the invasion of the Sasanian Empire which would spell its doom, and would become a new enemy that would weaken the Romans. This very religion would one day bring down their empire, centuries later.

Musically, this track reflects modern Greek music and Byzantine chant as well as Iranian music for the respective Roman and Sasanian Empires, as well as Armenian music, with the duduk being used to represent Rhahzadh. The Roman instrumentation is pretty close to what was used by the Greeks in the 1000’s to 1450’s, with the Oud, Qanun and Byzantine Lyra playing a central part although the usage of the Tambouras saz is anachronistic and more modern. The Iranian side uses the Oud also, as well as the Tar, Santour, Afghan Rabab and a modern orchestral string section played in a typical Middle-Eastern style.

The leitmotifs used in this symphony are:

• The “Rome” leitmotif, heard in my “Fall of Constantinople” and “Gaivs Ivlivs Caesar” symphonies.

• “The Sasanians” leitmotif, which I used in my “The Sasanians” and “Blood of Sasan” pieces.

• The “Humata” leitmotif, heard in “Humata” and “The Ballad of King Vahram.” The lyrics of this one are in the Avestan language.

• The Psalm 135, not my composition but a traditional piece from the Greek Orthodox chant repertory.

• The Asbārān leitmotif.

• A new leitmotif for Heraclius.

• A new leitmotif for Rhahzadh.

The Sasanian leitmotif uses an actual period Sasanian poem in Middle-Persian written by Pahlbod or Barbad, the official court musician of the Sasanian Empire, which shows an interesting form of national pride, comparing Khosrow II to clouds that overshadow both Caesar and the Khaghan of the Göktürks.

00:00 Overture - The End of an Era
01:00 The Empire of the Romans - Heraclius
04:00 The Empire of the Iranians - Rhahzadh the Armenian
07:15 The Prayers
13:19 The Battle Begins
17:16 The Asbaran Deployed
22:04 Rhahzadh Challenges Heraclius - Heraclius and Rhahzadh Prepare to Duel
24:14 The Great Duel
24:19 Heraclius' Victory
25:35 A New Power

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