The Dream of Conductor (2024)

In the winter of 2023, my dear friend Mehdi Jalali informed me that he was finalizing the last steps of publishing his book for ukulele. He had written a book containing 10 etudes for the instrument. When he performed some of these etudes for me, I was deeply impressed. They are both instructive and technical exercises for a serious player and, at the same time, valuable musical works. Much like Chopin’s etudes, which not only demonstrate technique but also possess artistic depth and creative thought. In these etudes, he blended ideas from Iranian music and international music, crafting a unique and enchanting world in each piece.

About this work, as written by Shahrokh Khajenouri:
     “The ukulele, which originated from the lute family in Portugal and became popular in Hawaii, offers a wide tonal range from soprano to bass. It has a unique sound quality and technical capabilities. However, it has mostly been used in popular music, and composers of more serious styles—especially contemporary composers—have often overlooked the potential of this instrument. The collection of études ‘Forte Fortissimo’ by Mehdi Jalali is an effort to highlight the lesser-explored aspects of the ukulele. As George Harrison said, everyone should love and play a ‘uke’ (ukulele).”

He also asked me to compose a piece for ukulele to be performed in an upcoming concert alongside the études from his book. This was a great honor and joy for me, as despite years of friendship and collaboration with Mehdi Jalali, such an opportunity had not yet arisen. I immediately began working and soon found the initial idea for the piece. I intended to use material from the etudes themselves for composition, so I asked dear Mehdi to send me the sheet music and recordings, and I tried to analyze these 10 works to understand their technical and compositional subtleties. Further details are provided in the preface to the sheet music of the piece.