BREEZE, AND INTO SPRING for Shakuhachi (or Flute) and Piano（2006）

I composed this piece in January 2006 in the context of an NHK radio programme that I was presenting at the time. It was the first piece I had composed for the shakuhachi and was intended to be an informal gift for Dōzan Fujiwara, the shakuhachi player who was appearing as a guest on the programme.
The theme consists of four notes and is used at the start of the piece in a gentle narrative manner. Syncopation is then gradually introduced and built on by the two instruments. The music then moves forward with a build-up of energy set above two chords. In the second half of the piece the same theme is presented in a lyrical manner in triple time and in the key of F major, this section then leading into a coda.
The title Breeze, and into Spring was suggested by Dōzan Fujiwara during the programme.
The piece was originally composed for shakuhachi and piano, but the shakuhachi part can also be played on the flute.