The Shadows (in Four Movements)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi • Poetry by: Ferdowsi & Emily Dickinson
Performers:
Flute & Alto Voice – Jess Getter • Trombone – Rafael Rodriguez • Piano & Baritone Voice – Soheil Shirangi
Premiere: May 5, 2025 | 1 PM | Knuth Music Hall, San Francisco State University
Watch Excerpt (III. Free Memory)
String Quartet No. 3 reflects on Beethoven’s late quartets, particularly Op. 130–132, reimagining their depth and intimacy through a contemporary lens. Written in five movements, the work moves from introspection (Veins of Silence) to transcendence (The Light that Listens). Minimalist repetition and gradual transformation mirror Beethoven’s unfolding processes, creating music that feels both timeless and new. Composer does not imitate Beethoven but converses with him—exploring silence, fragmentation, and renewal. The result is a five-part journey uniting past and present, intellect and emotion, in an evolving meditation on sound and meaning.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Read by: Mivos Ensemble, San Francisco State University — April 15, 2025
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Movement I — Veins of Silence
Year of Creation: 2020 • Last Edit: 2024
String Quartet No. 3 reflects on Beethoven’s late quartets, drawing inspiration from Op. 130–132. Shirangi reimagines their intimacy and complexity through a contemporary lens, using minimalist repetition and gradual transformation to mirror Beethoven’s unfolding structures. The five movements move from introspection (Veins of Silence) to transcendence (The Light that Listens), blending reflection, rhythm, and emotional depth. Rather than imitation, the work engages in dialogue with Beethoven—exploring silence, fragmentation, and renewal. It stands as both homage and response, linking past and present, reason and emotion, in a single, continuous musical conversation.
Maasoo (for Saxophone Quartet)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
First Performance: June 8, 2024 — Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame with TC4 Saxophone Quartet (Composer’s Voice Online Project)
Second Performance: September 14, 2024 — Composer’s Voice: Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame, Brand Library Recital Hall, 1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale, Los Angeles
Performers: TC4 Saxophone Quartet — Andrew Harrison, Frances Cisneros, Isaac Lopez, Robert Alexander
Watch First Performance | Watch Second Performance
Maasoo—a Mazandarani word meaning “the first light of dawn”—reflects both personal memory and minimalist clarity. Written for saxophone quartet, the piece unfolds as a calm dialogue between four voices, where suspended lines gradually find resolution. Rooted in the aesthetics of reduction, it transforms simplicity into reflection, inviting stillness amid modern noise. Inspired by the morning light of northern Iran, Maasoo embodies renewal and quiet awareness—a soundscape where silence, texture, and resonance merge into luminous balance.
(In Four Movements — for Soprano, Alto, Baritone, and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi • Written for: Toorandokht Festival
First Performance: January 2, 2024 – Opening of the Toorandokht Festival, Ghalam Hall, Iranian Book Institute, Tehran, Iran
Performers:
Soprano – Elmira Bagheri • Alto – Shadnoosh Shemshadi • Baritone – Sina Jabbari • Piano – Rozhin Zarnani
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Rahe Rastgari (“The Path of Salvation”) is inspired by the humanistic ideals of Ferdowsi, the great Persian epic poet. Composed in four movements for three voices and piano, the work emphasizes themes of compassion, nonviolence, and moral purity as the true way to salvation. The piano provides a supportive, narrative foundation for the vocal lines, which intertwine in lyrical and dramatic dialogue. Commissioned by the Toorandokht Festival, the piece celebrates kindness, unity, and enduring human virtue.
(for Vocal, String Quartet, and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi • Text: Rumi (Molana)
Published by: Zang Records, California, USA — December 6, 2023
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To Cheraghe Khod Barafruz (“Light Your Own Lamp”) is inspired by Rumi’s message of peace and unity. Scored for vocal solo, string quartet, and piano, the work reflects the idea that every individual light contributes to a collective sea of compassion and love. Through lyrical melody and expressive harmonies, it encourages hope, kindness, and human connection—reminding us that even one voice, joined with others, can illuminate a world beyond anger toward harmony and understanding.
Crossing on the Way East (for Hichiriki and Piano)
Composer & Pianist: Soheil Shirangi • Hichiriki: Thomas Piercy
Performed at: National Opera Center Studio, New York, USA — April 19, 2022
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Crossing on the Way East is a contemplative dialogue between the Japanese hichiriki and the piano. Blending Eastern modal colors with a reflective contemporary language, the piece explores the intersection of tradition and modern expression. The collaboration with Thomas Piercy creates a meditative soundscape where breath, tone, and silence merge. Inspired by Asian modes and aesthetics, the work suggests both a physical and spiritual journey—an encounter between cultures through sound.
I Brought a Pie (Aria for Soprano and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi • Libretto: Basil Considine
Soprano: Bree Nichols • Piano: Warren Kim
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From the opera Election/Division
I Brought a Pie is an aria from the opera Election/Division, with libretto by Basil Considine. It follows Rae, a young woman returning home after a divisive election, seeking to reconcile with her family. Through humor and tenderness, the music explores how personal gestures—like offering a pie—can reflect broader themes of unity and hope. The aria balances lyrical expression with modern theatrical sensibility, drawing inspiration from French mélodie and neoclassical clarity. It stands as a reflection on political division and the enduring human need for connection and empathy.
Composer & Pianist: Soheil Shirangi • Lyrics: Hafez
Vocal: Rashid Vatandoost • Recorded at: Saba Studio
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Ghased (meaning “The Messenger”) is a simple triple-meter piece based on a magnificent ghazal by Hafez. The piano creates a supportive, narrative space for the expressive tenor voice. The song begins with intensity, as if declaring its heartfelt message, then gradually unfolds into more lyrical reflection. Through a balance of poetic emotion and musical clarity, Ghased transforms Hafez’s timeless verse into a direct and intimate musical expression of longing and spiritual beauty.
Autumn (for Soprano and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi • Poet: Forough Farrokhzad
Vocal: Elmira Everlasting • Piano: Melina Johari
Record Label: Zang Records • © & ℗ 2021
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Autumn sets the poetry of Forough Farrokhzad into a delicate musical landscape, capturing the poet’s emotional depth and sense of solitude. The soprano line moves with intimacy and quiet intensity, while the piano creates an atmosphere of reflection and fading warmth. Together they evoke the season’s duality—beauty and decay, love and loss. The piece serves as both homage and reinterpretation, transforming Farrokhzad’s timeless words into a lyrical meditation on impermanence.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: December 2019
First Recording: Ali Jafari Pouyan (Violin), Mehrdad Alemi (Cello) — Recorded at Saba Studio by Marjan Masoumi
Mix & Mastering: Hami Haghighi • Cover Art: Parsa Sotoudeh • Label: Sheed Records
Second Recording (January 2022): Oliver Page (Violin), Brian Bromberg (Cello)
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Samat reflects a dialogue between cultures and eras, blending contemporary expression with the atmosphere of Iranian music. Inspired by Rumi’s vision of unity and humility, the piece portrays a spiritual journey where violin and cello represent two aspects of the same soul—searching for resonance, compassion, and understanding. Drawing from Persian modal gestures and modern chamber textures, Samat unfolds as an evolving conversation between sound and silence. It is a meditation on humanity and belonging, transforming mystical poetry into a musical landscape of tension, grace, and reconciliation.
Trauma (for Accordion and Two Cellos)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: June 2018
Written for: ICON Arts Festival, Romania
Performers:
Accordion – Fernando Mihalache • Cello I – Ella Bokor • Cello II – Mircea Marian
Performed: December 5, 2018, by the ICON Arts Trio at Thalia State Philharmonic Hall (Transylvania, Romania)
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Trauma traces an emotional path through memory and distress. Written for accordion and two cellos, the piece evokes the lingering weight of past experiences—moments of tension, fragility, and release. Through contrasting textures and sonorities, the music reflects both struggle and resilience. The accordion’s breathing tones merge with the deep resonance of the cellos, creating a haunting dialogue that unfolds like a recollection of pain transformed into sound.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Fall 2016 Last Edit: 2021
Performers:
Flute – Meysam Ghodrati • Piano – Siavash Damirian
Performed: March 9, 2022, at the Music Museum Studio
Mix & Master: Pouyan Abdoli
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Doubt is a quiet, introspective narrative told through the voice of the flute, gently supported by the piano. In a minimal and transparent atmosphere, the music explores uncertainty—not as conflict, but as reflection. Subtle gestures, pauses, and delicate interplay between the two instruments evoke the fragile balance between question and calm. The piece suggests that doubt, rather than weakness, can be a moment of poetic awareness and inner honesty.
Katibeh (Duet for Flute and Guitar)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Spring 2014 Rewrite & Final Edit: 2024
Performers:
Flute – Hossein Ebadollahi • Guitar – Bence Hartl
Recorded at: Alpo Studio (by Maziar Bababashi)
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Katibeh (meaning “inscription”) is inspired by my personal encounter with the poetic world of Mehdi Akhavan Sales, one of Iran’s great modern poets. The work translates the imagery and emotional depth of his inscription into a musical dialogue between flute and guitar. Through contrasting textures and lyrical gestures, the duet reflects a sense of reflection, longing, and timeless beauty—an echo of words carved into sound.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Fall 2014 • Last Edit & Recording: Fall 2015
Performed by: Zasta Ensemble
Performers:
Violin I – Pedram Faryousefi • Violin II – Paniz Faryousefi • Viola – Parisa Pirzadeh • Cello – Atena Eshtiaghi
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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First Official Performance: September 2015 — A4 Ensemble, Maktabe Tehran, Iran
Violin I – Sadaf Haghi • Violin II – Pouya Dehlari • Viola – Pegah Fazeli • Cello – Hasti Shapouri
String Quartet No. 2 tells a simple story through the voices of four instruments, blending clarity with expressiveness in a contemporary style. Built on minimalist ideas, small motifs evolve gradually through changing textures and colors, creating a living musical narrative. The work moves between tension and calm, abstraction and emotion, using silence and resonance as part of its language. Each instrument participates equally—sometimes blending, sometimes contrasting—forming a dialogue of unity and individuality. It is a meditation on connection and simplicity, where meaning emerges not from words but from sound itself.
String Quartet No. 1 (Rondo in D Minor)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Summer 2014 • Last Edit & Recording: Fall 2015
Performed by: Zasta Ensemble
Performers:
Violin I – Pedram Faryousefi • Violin II – Paniz Faryousefi • Viola – Parisa Pirzadeh • Cello – Atena Eshtiaghi
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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First Official Performance: September 2015 — A4 Ensemble, Maktabe Tehran, Iran
Violin I – Sadaf Haghi • Violin II – Pouya Dehlari • Viola – Pegah Fazeli • Cello – Hasti Shapouri
String Quartet No. 1 (Rondo in D Minor) is built on a simple three-part rondo form: A (Allegro), B (Adagio), and C (Moderato). Each section holds its own atmosphere—lively, lyrical, and balanced—while remaining interconnected. The piece explores contrast and unity through shifting tempos and moods, blending motion and calm to create a compact but expressive musical journey. Rooted in classical clarity yet marked by personal expression, it reveals a dialogue between energy and stillness, capturing both vitality and introspection within a cohesive formal design.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Dedication: To Gholamreza Takhti (1930–1968) — the most beloved figure of modern Iranian history
Year of Creation: January 2014 Last Edition & Recording: July 2020
Published by: Zang Records, August 2020
Performers:
Trumpet I & II – Hassan Farahani • French Horn – Farshad Sheykhi • Trombone – Hossein Sharifi • Tuba – Babak Mirdadian
Recorded at: Sorna Music Studio, Tehran, Iran
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Kashkool is a narrative tribute to Gholamreza Takhti, the legendary Iranian wrestler known for his compassion. The piece recalls the day he walked the streets of Tehran after the 1962 Buin Zahra earthquake, collecting donations for the victims. Through powerful brass textures and emotional contrast, the music mirrors both the heroism and humility of Takhti. Shifting between solemn reflection and triumphant energy, it portrays his humanity as a source of unity and kindness. Kashkool stands as a reminder that true greatness lies in empathy and service to others.
Imazh (Sonata for Cello and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Fall 2013 Recorded: Summer 2015
Performers:
Cello – Yasaman Koozegar • Piano – Arman Nassiri
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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Imazh (meaning “image”) is a musical exploration of visual imagination within the classical sonata form. In this work, sound becomes a medium for drawing images—emotional, abstract, or fleeting. Each movement unfolds like a sequence of musical pictures, blending narrative clarity with expressive color. The cello and piano engage in a dialogue that alternates between lyricism and motion, forming a vivid interplay of texture and tone. The piece seeks to translate visual ideas into a living musical story.
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: Spring 2012 Last Edition: 2021
Performer: Beth Ratay – Piccolo and Flute
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Karma is built as a conversation between two voices—the piccolo and the flute. Each instrument expresses its own thoughts, sometimes agreeing, sometimes diverging. As their dialogue unfolds, meanings shift and transform, creating the illusion of changing purpose. Yet beneath the surface lies a continuous thread: the inevitable return of actions and ideas upon themselves. Through contrast, imitation, and subtle transformation, the piece explores how musical cause and effect mirror the concept of karma—where nothing truly disappears, only transforms.
Kooran (for Selected Ensemble)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Instrumentation: String Ensemble, Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Piano, and Vibraphone
Year of Creation: Winter 2009 Last Edition & Recording: Summer 2015
Performers:
Flute & Alto Flute – Meysam Ghodrati • Bass Flute – Hossein Ebadolahi • Piano – Arman Nassiri
Violin & Viola – Pedram Faryousefi • Cello – Atena Eshtiaghi
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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Kooran is a personal musical narrative reflecting a specific period of my life. Written for a small ensemble, it combines contemporary techniques with lyrical gestures to portray moments of introspection and emotional change. The dialogue among strings, piano, flutes, and vibraphone weaves an expressive texture that moves between clarity and mystery. Through its shifting timbres and colors, the work seeks to capture the resonance of memory—how inner experiences can transform into sound and silence intertwined.
Piano Pianissimo No. 2 (for Violin, Viola, and Piano)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: 2008 Rewrite: 2013 Last Edition & Recording: 2015
Performers:
Violin & Viola – Masud Noruzi • Piano – Soheil Shirangi
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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Piano Pianissimo No. 2 explores the quietest shades of sound, inspired by the idea of delicate musical balance. The piece invites performers to interpret its softness personally, shaping expression through sensitivity rather than volume. While rooted in tonality, it moves freely to narrate a subtle emotional landscape—intimate, reflective, and fragile. Through gentle dialogue between violin, viola, and piano, the work seeks to capture moments where music almost disappears into silence, yet remains deeply expressive.
Little a Fantasy (for Clarinet, Piano, and Harmonica)
Composer: Soheil Shirangi
Year of Creation: 2006 Last Edition & Recording: Summer 2014
Performers:
Clarinet – Soheil Peyghambary • Harmonica – Mohamad Athari • Piano – Soheil Shirangi
Recorded at: Saba Studio, Tehran, Iran
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Little a Fantasy is a brief yet imaginative dialogue between three instruments—clarinet, piano, and harmonica. The piece grows from a concise theme that travels playfully among them, forming a conversation of colors and moods. Each instrument takes a turn to express its own character: the clarinet sings, the piano responds with harmonic depth, and the harmonica adds a nostalgic breath. Though short, the work evokes a miniature world of fantasy and lyrical expression.