Four Spring Songs

With texts taken from the Kokin Wakashu, a collection of Japanese waka poetry compiled from various poets in the early tenth century, these four short songs of spring show the passing of the season from the first buds hidden beneath the snow to the last petals washing downstream. The a cappella texture and shifting meters capture the composer's graceful blending of vivid natural imagery with expressive lilting melodies. Titles: Haru tateba (As spring is stirring); Kasuga no (To Kasuga fields); Momo chidori (Hundred little birds); Hana chireru (By these petal-strewn waters).