baritone, flute (dbl. alto), clarinet (dbl. sop.), percussion, and viola
25 minutes
1999

That the most important influence on a young composer should be a 17th-century poet seems strange to some and utterly logical to others. This work is the culmination of several years of creative engagement with the poetry of Matsuo Bashō. By no means a final statement—but, in any event, a highly personal one. The structure is both cyclical (depicting a year of poetic observations), and directional (exploring a path that cannot be retraced). Although I have never quite written anything like this since then, many of the gestures, textures, and colors have served as a kind of touchstone for me in the succeeding years.