A Voice Passes (Full Score) [HL:1735418]

A VOICE PASSES provides musical commentary on three haiku by the 19th-century poet Masaoka Shiki and one by the legendary master he most admired, Yosa Buson. Stricken with tuberculosis and addicted to morphine in the later years of his short life, Shiki wrote a large number of haiku that dealt with the pain and suffering caused by his illness. Of these, many were at the same time infused with humor and optimism. The haiku selected by the composer as the programmatic bases of the individual movements are laid out in a “four-seasons” sequence and progress from the despair and resignation of summer to the hopefulness and vibrancy of spring - a not-so-subtle metaphor for the progression of the recent pandemic. In addition to the textual inspiration, each movement is structured around a well-known composition that echoes the spirit and content of the haiku.