String Quartet No. 11, Op. 122
Perhaps more than any other composer since Beethoven, Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–75) employed the string quartet as a vehicle for his deepest and most personal ruminations on the human condition.

Shostakovich’s Eleventh Quartet was written in January 1966 in memory of the composer’s friend and colleague Vasily Shirinsky who had died in the previous year. Shirinsky had been second violinist of the Beethoven Quartet, who had premiered all Shostakovich’s previous quartets.

The Nevermore composition expresses grief and despair by recognizing that love had to first exist.

This 30-minute score and sound piece interprets the stories and connection between Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee (1849) and The Raven (1845). It also draws Poe’s short form poem: Deep in Earth (1847) “deep in earth my love is lying, and I must weep alone” as well as his poem The Bells(1848), which descends from childlike innocence into overwhelming despair.

The creative process included comprehensive research of Poe’s life and personal tragedies and a deep study of his complete poetic works as a way to understand the genesis of his writings, inspiration, and creative perspective. The poetry and key biographical inputs of this piece are not overtly or directly stated, instead they feed into the creative foundation of Nevermore. “I intended not to simply set his poetry to music (as in a superficial libretto or performative homage to Poe), but to use this score and ballet as a vehicle to fully and holistically interpret his work and creative voice.”

This piece was composed, recorded, and produced in Paris, France, 2026.

Adolphe Adam (1803–56) was one of the most prolific composers for the Paris stages. He was innovative in the emotional connection he introduced between his music and events of stage. Today he is best remembered for his ballet scores Le Corsaire and Giselle.

Adam was born in Paris. His father, a pianist and composer, did not encourage his son to follow him into music, but from an early age Adam determined to compose for the theatre. He entered the Paris Conservatoire aged 17 and studied organ, counterpoint and composition. Adam met the librettist Eugène Scribe on tour in Geneva in 1826 and soon afterwards collaborated with him on a number of comic operas, including the hugely successful Le Chalet (1834). Adam made his debut at the Opéra-Comique with Pierre et Catherine (1829). After the 1830 July Revolution he moved to London, where his works included His First Campaign. Adam returned to Paris permanently in 1833 and made his Paris Opéra debut with the ballet La Fille du Danube (1836) for Marie Taglioni. His ballet Giselle (1841) for the Opéra, allegedly composed in three weeks, is his most enduring work.

BEGINNINGS · INNOCENCE · TRUST · THE UNKNOWN
The Innocent — Giselle

Before betrayal and tragedy, Giselle embodies the innocence of someone who believes completely in love. Like the traditional Fool, she stands at the beginning of a journey, unaware of the danger ahead.

CREATION · IMAGINATION · WILL · TRANSFORMATION
Edgar Allan Poe — Nevermore

The author as magician, transforming language into entire worlds. Poe conjures terror, beauty,

MYSTERY · INTUITION · HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE · THE UNSEEN
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis — Giselle

Myrtha presides over a supernatural realm governed by laws unknown to the living. Her authority is mysterious and absolute, making her a compelling embodiment of the High Priestess.

LOVE · BEAUTY · ABUNDANCE · DEVOTION
The Lost Beloved — Nevermore

Inspired by the idealized women of Poe's poetry, particularly Lenore and Annabel Lee. The Empress becomes a representation of love and beauty, but also the human desire to preserve what cannot remain.

AUTHORITY · STRUCTURE · PRIVILEGE · CONTROL
The Nobleman — Giselle

Albrecht's aristocratic identity represents a world of inherited power and social expectations. The Emperor could symbolize the rigid hierarchy that makes his relationship with Giselle impossible without deception.

TRADITION · WISDOM · RITUAL · SPIRITUAL BELIEF
The Keeper of Tradition — Ghost Ballads

Inspired by the Graveyard Poets' meditations on faith, burial traditions, and the relationship between the living and the dead. The Hierophant becomes a guardian of spiritual knowledge and collective memory.

LOVE · CHOICE · UNION · CONSEQUENCES
Giselle and Albrecht — Giselle

One of the strongest connections in the collection. Giselle and Albrecht's relationship encompasses both the beauty of love and the devastating consequences of dishonesty. The Lovers is fundamentally a card about meaningful choices, not simply romance.

FORCE · DETERMINATION · CONTROL · INEVITABILITY
The Conqueror Worm — Nevermore

Poe's poem The Conqueror Worm presents human life as a theatrical spectacle ultimately overcome by death. It offers an unsettling reversal of the traditional Chariot's triumph: the force that cannot be defeated is mortality itself.

COMPASSION · COURAGE · MERCY · INNER STRENGTH
Giselle's Forgiveness — Giselle

Giselle's greatest act of strength is not physical. It is her decision to protect Albrecht despite his betrayal. Her compassion overcomes the vengeance of the Wilis.

SOLITUDE · REFLECTION · WISDOM · CONTEMPLATION
Thomas Gray — Ghost Ballads

Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is perhaps the most natural literary companion to the Hermit. A solitary observer reflects upon forgotten lives, the passage of time, and the universal nature of death.

FATE · CYCLES · TIME · CHANGE
The Pendulum — Nevermore

The pendulum becomes a visual metaphor for the relentless movement of time and the precariousness of human existence. Unlike a wheel, its motion seems to promise only one destination—until an unexpected escape changes the outcome.

TRUTH · CONSEQUENCE · ACCOUNTABILITY · CONSCIENCE
The Tell-Tale Heart — Nevermore

Poe's narrator believes he has committed the perfect crime, only to be undone by his own conscience. Justice becomes an exploration of the truth that cannot remain buried.

SURRENDER · STILLNESS · SACRIFICE · NEW PERSPECTIVE
The Suspended Soul — Ghost Ballads

The Graveyard Poets repeatedly contemplate the relationship between earthly existence and eternity. The Hanged Man can represent a soul suspended between those worlds, relinquishing the familiar in search of a different understanding.

ENDINGS · TRANSFORMATION · TRANSITION · REBIRTH
The Wilis — Giselle

The Wilis are spirits of young women who died before their weddings, transformed into supernatural beings. Their existence captures the dual meaning of the Death card: the end of one state of being and the beginning of another.

BALANCE · PATIENCE · MODERATION · HARMONY
The Measure of Life — Ghost Ballads

Inspired by Edward Young's Night-Thoughts, which examines the brevity of life and the search for spiritual meaning. Temperance becomes the balancing of earthly desires against eternal concerns.

FEAR · BONDAGE · TEMPTATION · DENIAL
The Red Death — Nevermore

In Peo’s The Masque of the Red Death, Prince Prospero attempts to escape mortality through wealth, isolation, and indulgence. The mysterious masked figure exposes the illusion of his control.

COLLAPSE · UPHEAVAL · REVELATION · DESTRUCTION
The Fall of the House of Usher — Nevermore

A nearly perfect literary parallel. The destruction of the Usher mansion represents the collapse of a family, a mind, and a world that has become impossible to sustain.

HOPE · FAITH · INSPIRATION · ENDURING LOVE
Annabel Lee — Nevermore

Poe's Annabel Lee describes a love so powerful that even death cannot separate two souls. The Star represents the light that remains after loss.

DREAMS · ILLUSION · FEAR · THE SUBCONSCIOUS
The Midnight Forest — Giselle

The second act of Giselle takes place in a supernatural landscape where familiar rules no longer apply. The Moon represents this uncertain territory between the real and the imagined, the living and the dead.

RENEWAL · CLARITY · LIBERATION · LIFE
The First Light — Giselle

At dawn, the Wilis lose their power, and Albrecht survives. The rising sun becomes a symbol of release from the supernatural world and the possibility of continuing after grief.

AWAKENING · RECKONING · REBIRTH · REVELATION
The Resurrection — Ghost Ballads

Robert Blair's The Grave and Edward Young's Night-Thoughts explore death, resurrection, and the eternal fate of the soul. Judgement becomes a moment when the dead are called to rise and earthly life is seen from an eternal perspective.

COMPLETION · UNITY · ETERNITY · TRANSCENDENCE
The Eternal Dance — Ghost Stories

The final card unites the three ballets through their shared fascination with mortality and what remains after death. Poetry, memory, love, and movement become expressions of the human desire to transcend time.