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About this Piece

The wind, the sea, time and distance, and the rain – regenerative and limitless themes which infused the imagination of the foremost composer of contemporary music to emerge from Japan, Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996).  Rain Tree Sketch II was written in memory of Olivier Messiaen upon his death in 1992. Messiaen was influential in Takemitsu’s musical development, and this, the last of Takemitsu’s piano works, was written for a concert honoring the late composer. The performer is asked to begin and conclude the piece “Celestially light.”