About

New Year’s is a work based on a set of three haiku that all relate to ideas about the beginning of a new year. Similar to the nature of each haiku, the movements in this piece are short, possess a simple musical language, and present a brief statement of only two or three different ideas. The titles of each movement were based on the translation of the first line of each haiku:

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I. A Watching Crane

II. On New Year's Day

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Poem

I.  A Watching Crane

A watching crane                      Mi-hari tsuru

Whoops far and wide               Yo-ake to tomo ni

As the dawn approaches.        Naki wataru

– Miura Yuzuru

II. On New Year’s Day

On New Year’s Day                   Ganjitsu ya

The mountains brighten         Yama ake kakaru

In the snow.                               Yuki no naka

– Muro Saisei

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“'On New Year’s Day' started with her beautiful solo on the alto flute braced by more animated, chilly music from percussion and piano. Stem showed he can write a limpid melody. His slightly tart, yet tonal harmonies were perfectly suited to a text that included the line 'Of a single frosty rose.' ”

David Williams, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Charleston, WV; October 30, 2014. Read Review