Painting of Japan (2016)

​Listen to the piece

• Instrumentation: Harp, violin.

• Description: This piece was inspired by my recent and growing love of Japan, and my desire to start exploring what I could do with things like the pentatonic scale, more than what I had done in one section of Birds of Prey. In this piece’s 8 movements, a little snapshot of Japan is revealed. Each one has different challenges that can show off techniques of the different instruments, and some have different styles – some are more melodic while others are less so. The score-video performance below shows six of the movements:

  • I. Mt. Fuji​

  • II. Cherry Blossom Festival

  • III. Shinto Shrine

  • IV. The Koto

  • VII. Interlude

  • VIII. Bullet Train to Tokyo

• Big thanks to harpist Caitlin Thom for performing with me in this recording for a fall recital on 18 October 2016.