Under Rainclouds, Plum Blossoms
Kevin McCarter
About this work:
The music is inspired by a classic Japanese haiku (in English translation): "Under the rainclouds / The plum blossoms seem like stars / Despite the daylight." (Uejima Onitsura) The rhythms and meters draw on the 5-7-5 pattern of haiku syllables, and melodic figures utilize several pentatonic scales.
Bassist Satoshi Okamoto and clarinetist Pascual Martinez-Forteza premiered this piece on the April 14, 2013 Composer's Voice concert in New York. A video of the performance has been posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDWU7JaiCXs&list=PLaOshUUAH1l83oAgfwNdpMYcYudxM0eyL#t=1006 (Under Rainclouds, Plum Blossoms is the first piece on the program.)
Year composed: 2012
Duration: 00:01:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Clarinet, 1 Double bass