Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 10/31/2006, uploaded on 01/18/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Rain Tree Sketch II - In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen               Toru Takemitsu

Toru Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II is dedicated to the memory of Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992), a French composer whose harmonic language and rhythmic placements were unique.  Takemitsu's work utilizes these same techniques through the placement of rests and harmonic colors throughout the piece.  The sketch has three sections delineated by different tempi.  The middle section is distinctive in its cheerfulness. 

Rain Trees grow in one region in Japan where their leaves hold rain water which constantly drips.  To Takemitsu this symbolically represents tears as he remembers the late composer.  The harmonic colors and soft dynamics of this work evoke a mystical image of a rain forest.     Junghwa Lee

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.