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

Beethoven

“Kakadu Variations”

Piano Sonata No. 4 (Op. 7)

String Quartet No. 13 (Op. 130)

Bonds

Spiritual Suite

Brahms

Piano Trio No. 2

String Quartet No. 3

String Quintet No. 2

Britten

Three Divertimenti

Franck

Symphony in D minor

Haydn

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

Ligeti

String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes)

Mozart

String Quartet No. 15 (K. 421)

Poulenc

Gloria

Price

Fantasie nègre No. 2

Prokofiev

String Quartet No. 2

Ravel

Histoires naturelles

String Quartet

Schubert

Impromptus (D. 899)

String Quartet No. 13

R. Schumann

Kinderszenen

Weber

Piano Sonata No. 2