The Snow Watcher (2002)

chromatic kantele (also version for extended vibraphone, 2015)
7 min.

The Snow Watcher takes its title from a collection of verse by the American poet Chase Twichell, which I came across in 2001 while browsing in a used book store. Her short, vivid poems spoke primarily of the experience of Zen meditation, but also of iconic images, memories and formative experiences from a lost childhood. Above all, I was taken with her sense of wonder at the natural world, and her absorption in small, exquisitely beautiful details of daily life. Her words also shed light on my own childhood habit of watching the ever-changing, dancing patterns of snowfall from my window, a fascination which persists even now. The Snow Watcher is dedicated to Hedi Viisma.

A version for extended-range vibraphone was also made in 2015 for Naoki Yasuda.