Iranian American musician Barry Alavi was invited to add a musical dimension to this candlestick from an area that historically was part of Persian empires. Its inlaid surface contains images of men riding horses and musicians, two major activities of the royal court, from fighting to feasting. Alavi chose to convey the tension leading up to a battle, before two opposing forces meet.

A mood of tension is produced through skillful use of the ancient Persian ney, an end-blown flute, and through the Persian musical mode he chose to create the mood. Alavi says that the ney is “sung into” by the player, through techniques for controlling the airflow. As the ney’s sound is close to the voice, the musical modes are also associated with Persian poetry.