demetriusshahmehri.com

Program notes

Writing a program note is an immense privilege, a chance to be a small part in the joy audiences and performers bring to the concert encounter. Each note I write tries to ground music in its history–both its cultural history, and its role in the lives of the individuals who first made it. I believe strongly that a note should reflect the spirit of the piece it accompanies. I like to think of a program note as a translation of music from sound to words, a guide that clarifies the structures and quirks of a piece, never forgetting–as Charles Rosen pointed out–that music is rooted in time, or it is nothing at all.

Below is a growing list of the pieces I have written about. A free sample of my work is available here.


Pricing
I charge $75 for the reuse of any note listed here. For commissioned notes, I charge $250 for a full concert, or $100 for a single piece.

I would prefer (for best results!) to be contacted at least three weeks in advance of any deadline, but I may also be available to work on tighter schedules.

J. S. Bach

French Suite No. 5

Partita No. 1

 

Bartók

String Quartet No. 5

Violin Sonata No. 2 

 

Beethoven

“Kakadu Variations”

Piano Sonata No. 4 (Op. 7)

String Quartet No. 13 (Op. 130)

Violin Sonata No. 7 (Op. 30, No. 2)

 

Bonds

Spiritual Suite

“You Can Tell the World”

 

Brahms

Piano Trio No. 2 (Op. 87)

String Quartet No. 3 (Op. 67)

String Quintet No. 2 (Op. 111)

Violin Sonata No. 2 (Op. 100)

 

Britten

A Hymn to the Virgin

Three Divertimenti

 

Byrd

Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Dvořák

String Quartet No. 12 (“American”)

 

Franck

Symphony in D minor

 

Haydn

String Quartet No. 59 (Op. 74, No. 3, “Rider”)

 

Hogan, Moses 

“Crucifixion”

 

Ligeti

String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes)

 

Mozart

String Quartet No. 15 (K. 421) 

 

Nesbett, John

Magnificat

 

Poulenc

Gloria 

 

Price

Fantasie nègre No. 2

String Quartet No. 1

 

Prokofiev

String Quartet No. 2

 

Ravel

Histoires naturelles

String Quartet

 

Schubert

Impromptus (D. 899)

String Quartet No. 13

 

R. Schumann

Kinderszenen

 

Tallis

Missa Puer natus est nobis

 

Weber

Piano Sonata No. 2