Fumio Hayasaka (1914-1955)
Uguisu (1944)

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Emily Hamilton, soprano

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Uguisu is commonly translated as "nightingale," but its actual English name is "Japanese bush warbler." This small bird is often heard, and sometimes seen, in bamboo thickets surrounding Buddhist temples. Its song is described as "Hō, hokekyo, kekyo, kekyo," which sounds like saying Hokekyō (Lotus sutra), a Buddhist prayer. In traditional Japanese music, the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) often imitates the call of the uguisu. This song is a marvelous rendition imitating a shakuhachi imitating an uguisu.

• Program Notes, Kumiko Shimuzu and Mutsumi Moteki