DESCRIPTION:
Sinae Lee, Graeme McNaught, Fali Pavri and Aaron Shorr - Pianos. Tom Wells - Conductor

8 March 2013, Stevenson Hall, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

The Droplets of Dew is inspired by the Matsuo Basho haiku:

I like to wash,
The dust of this world
In the droplets of dew.

The piece is written especially for this occasion and involves four concert grand pianos and fixed media (pre-recorded computer sound).

The sounds of water and resonances of the piano are the basic sound materials of the piece. I'm very grateful to my husband, Thomas Wells, who has amazing expertise in computer music and the knowledge of all kinds of useful sound-synthesis applications, for helping me realize some sound imagery--for example, the sound the piano strings set into vibration by a drop of water.

In general, I'm trying to achieve the beauty of the piece on a more intimate level-- concentrating on a palette of timbres, and in some ways disregarding the traditional expectations of and approaches to piano music and performance. Both the pianos and the computer sounds are treated as instruments of an imaginary orchestra.