South Wind at Clear Dawn is a ten-minute tone poem for soprano and symphony orchestra. It is part of a trilogy of tone poems with the overall title of
Hokusai Says. The pieces are based on three woodcuts by the 18th C Japanese artist Hokusai. The other two pieces are called
Amida Waterfall and
Great Wave. The text for
South Wind at Clear Dawn is from the
Hui Ming Ching (or
Book of Consciousness and Life) by Liu Hua-yang, 1794.
Empty IntensityWithout beginning, without end,
Without past, without future.
A halo of light surrounds the world of the law.
We forget one another, quiet and pure,
altogether powerful and empty.
The emptiness is filled by the light of the heart
and of heaven.
The water of the sea is smooth and mirrors the
moon in its surface.
Clouds disappear in blue space; mountains
shine clear.
This work was a finalist in the Vienna Composers competition (2003). The prize was to have it recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic. A recording of this work can be purhcased here:
http://www.selfmademusic.co.uk/ssrecs.phpSouth Wind at Clear Dawn II composed by Dr Susannah Self from
Susannah Self on
Vimeo.
