“I found the
collection to be very intimate and spiritual.
I especially liked Birds in Spring, By the Buddha, Nocturne
and O-Bon…..I love your playing.”
Cellist
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I began recording in the winter.
During the winter it is quiet at the monastery. It is a secluded mountaintop location that
is hard to get to in inclement weather.
Most activities are scheduled for the warmer seasons. |
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My
first sound recordings were of the wind.
The sound of the wind is quite prevalent sometimes in the Winter and
the harshness and hardiness of wintertime belies a quite beauty and
freshness. |
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It
was my listening to the fascinating sound of the wind, a sound we often take
for granted, that inspired the first musical
selection on the recording, Winterwind. |
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To reduce the effect of the wind in the microphones, I tried
leaving my equipment in the woodshed where it was a little more
sheltered. Little did I know that the
monks were about to bring in a truck and load it with firewood. I left my equipment there and they
discovered it. They considerately
moved my recorder so that it would not be destroyed and I subsequently got a
recording of them working. I had to cut
out some of the material due to the hilarious faux testing of the equipment and
the noise of it
being moved by the residents. Work
practice is called Samu, hence the title of this second track Samu I
which is gratefully dedicated to the monks and residents. |
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