Toshio Hosokawa studied in Tokyo and in Germany (with Isang Yun, among others). His first opera 'Vision of Lear' had its first performance at the 1998 Munich Festival, where it was highly praised as 'a work inspired by the meeting of East and West, opening the way to a new musical world'. This bridge between East and West is a characteristic feature of his compositions and is reflected particularly in his choice of instruments. 'Bird Fragments III' makes use of the shô, the Japanese equivalent of the sheng mouth organ, bass recorder and piccolo (with just one player) and is dedicated to Toru Takemitsu.
