Night Flying Winter Cranes (Vintertraner) was written right into the japanese shakuhashi-tradition, but still with use of European approaches.
Throughout several centuries, the both simple and sophisticated bamboo flute has been applied for both improvisation and meditation purposes. The very open way of blowing on this flute offers the possibility of a great number of extra sounds, ranging from overtones and breathing sounds to real noise sounds.
These sounds, coupled with normal shakuhashi-techniques like komibuki (a kind of vibrato), and glissandi will be idiomatic in the japanese tradition, but in a western connection be made subject to independant treatment. And this is the case in Night Flying Winter Cranes – both in the acoustic and the electronic parts.
Many shakuhashi-pieces/sketches for improvisation relate to poem-like texts, in this case:
Det rigtige liv begynder med tranedans.
To liv finder sammen, bygger rede og lægger æg.
To liv bliver til mange liv.
Mod årets slutning
Flyver ungerne for stedse fra det gamle tranepar.
Ungerne på vej mod livet.
Forældrene på vej mod vinteren.
Således beriget, tager alle afsked med hinanden.
and
En kvindelig shakuhashispiller kommer til landsbyen.
Hun spiller alle de toner, hun har med sig.
Landsbyboerne føler sig opløftet og beder hende spille mere.
Da hun senere skal forlade stedet, overrækker landsbyboerne hende en skål,
Hvori de smukt har anbragt alle hendes toner.
De skilles – begge parter beriget.