An adaption of work for shō and prepared piano, Five Pieces, is a setting of four Japanese haiku by Matsu Bashō and Yasuhara Teishitsu. The intimate vocal line ounravels over the mostly improvised fragile sounds of the prepared piano, creating a soundworld evocative of the dreamy character of the four haiku.
II
枯枝に烏の泊まりけり秋の暮
kare-eda ni karasu no tomari keri aki no kure
a crow is perched on a bare branch; it is an autumn eve
Bashō
Voice: Shie Shoji
Piano: Basil Athanasiadis
Music Recorded at Tokyo University of the Arts, Senju Campus, Studio A, 24 February 2019
Recording Engineer: Toru Kamekawa
Editing / Mixing: Basil Athanasiadis
Available on CD by Metier, ‘Book of Dreams’ (msv 28596).