On May 3rd, Kronos Quartet reunited with Jeffrey Zeigler for a one-night only performance at National Sawdust, dedicated to compositions that “Awaken the Future” including the world premiere of “For Love Seemed East at First” composed by Niloufar Nourbakhsh.
For Love Seemed Easy at First, commissioned in celebration of National Sawdust’s 10th season for the remarkable Kronos Quartet and Jeffrey Zeigler, began as a tribute to the community that National Sawdust has cultivated—a creative home that has embraced not only my work but the voices of many musicians and artists who, like me, have found a kind of family within its walls.
As I began composing, the piece organically shifted into a more intimate exploration of family itself—of the bonds that hold, fray, and stretch across distance and time. Since the passing of my mother in 2019, the relationships within my family have undergone profound changes. Now dispersed across three continents, we continue to navigate how to remain connected and whole despite our separation.
In the final movement, I collaborated closely with Roxanne Nesbitt in building a motorized wheel bow as a metaphor for the fragile and deliberate effort to gather what remains.
The title, For Love Seemed Easy at First, is a literal translation of the opening line of a ghazal by the 14th-century Persian mystic poet Hafez. It is also the name of our family’s WhatsApp group chat—a humble but enduring thread that ties us together.
Nilou Nour | Composer Pianist 
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