Kodama IV (Espirit De L'Arbre) [CF:524-08570]

Alto saxophone is a particularly faxcinating instrument for it can develop a full, rich sound and at turns hover on the brink of nothing. Thus it seems to me the perfect instrument to express the "shado of sounds" their echo. "Echo" is also the name of a Greek nymph: "Echo is no longer a sound through the air. It is a Nymph crying over Narcissus." (Boileau). Interestingly, the Japanese work "kodama" - which gives the piece its title - also has a dual (and somewhat related) meaning: "echo" and "the spirit of a tree". Here, the performer is asked to make rests as expressive as sound. -Susumu Yoshida