Slowly Toward the North

bass koto and shou (2011)

(Live recording—excerpt of premiere performance)

Premiere: May 10, 2012, Tokyo
Performed by Reiko Kamata, bass koto, and Yuji Nishihara, shou

duration: 12:35

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program note

Slowly Toward the North (2011), for bass koto and shou, is inspired by the surrealist landscapes of YvesTanguy (1900-1955), particularly by the loneliness and beauty of the blue landscapes. It is written for Reiko Kamata, with whom I had the privilege of studying Sankyoku just as I was beginning to write music.

There are three movements:

1. quietly breathing
2. relentlessly moving forward
3. slowly toward the north