Program Note

      Exhale the Moon is a pastoral, nocturnal piece.  Each movement (played attacca) is accompanied by an ancient haiku describing outdoor activities-by-night.  This is not meant to be a musical “reading” of the texts, or a literal, rigid response to their content.  Rather, my purpose in reproducing them is two-fold.  First, they are quite descriptive of the musical contour and landscape that I explored, albeit in a tangential way, and I would be doing a disservice by not including them in the experience somehow.  Second, serendipitously, they helped unify my thought process as I composed, as they all emanated from the spiritual realm from which I was also writing.  In these particular haikus, I found a supportive companion. ~KPR 

 

I.

Early dusk:

The mouth of the toad

Exhales the moon.

                                    Shiki

II.

The clouds hasten

To the rhythm

Of the moor-hen’s cry.

                                    Issa

III.

The night rain;

A little teaches

The cat to dance.

                                    Issa

IV.

All around

That meets the eye

Is cool and fresh.

                                    Bashō

V.

The firefly

Gives light

To its pursuer.

                                    Oemaru

VI.

How lovely,

Through the torn paper window

The Milky Way.

                                    Issa

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VII.

The moon on the water

Turned a somersault

And floated away.

                                    Ryota

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