Postcards II: Akari — flute, viola, harp, and fixed media / (guitar may be substituted for harp) (2018)
Commissioned by The Noguchi Museum, duration 20’
This work was written in celebration of the exhibition Akari: Sculpture by Other Means. These light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are made of washi paper (made by hand from the inner bark of the mulberry tree) and bamboo. The fixed media only natural sounds of rubbing, opening/closing, tapping the Akari so the audience can feel as though they’re inside the light sculptures, or perhaps overhearing their light conversations/adventures/dreams. The three instrumental parts drawing subtly from the other pieces on the original program (Debussy’s Sonate for flute, viola, and harp, and Takemitsu’s Itinerant, written for Noguchi). The piece frames these works of the past, in the same concept as the Akari themselves which use traditional handcrafting/washi paper that is illuminated by new technology. Noguchi’s idea of creating art that helps people be present in the room/space influenced the concept of the piece. The text is drawn from Isamu Noguchi: A Sculptor’s World, and excerpts phrases in which the artist described light sculptures.
Premiered April 6, 2018 at The Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, New York by Alice Teyssier, Ashley Jackson, and Lanzilotti.
Lanzilotti, Jackson, and Teyssier performing at The Noguchi Museum in the Akari exhibit. Photography by Don Stahl
Postcards II: Akari for flute/voice, viola, harp ( / guitar) and fixed media. Set of parts. Contact me using the homepage for a copy of the fixed media and/or to discuss different options for playback.
Digital download of the score for Postcards II: Akari for flute/voice, viola, harp ( / guitar) and fixed media. Contact me using the homepage for a copy of the fixed media and/or to discuss different options for playback.
Digital download of the score for Postcards II: Akari for flute/voice, cello, harp ( / guitar) and fixed media. Contact me using the homepage for a copy of the fixed media and/or to discuss different options for playback.
Past Performances
Sunday, October 2, 2022 — 5th Wave Collective, Chicago Riverwalk, IL
Sunday, August 14, 2022 — 5th Wave Collective, Thirsty Ears Festival, Mainstage, Chicago, IL
Sunday, June 12, 2022 — Extended Music Collective, Tinnenpot, Ghent, Belgium
Saturday, November 23, 2019 — Cosy Nook Ensemble (version for voice/viola, guitar, and fixed media), Cosy Nook, London, UK
Saturday, August 3, 2019 — Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti (version for solo voice/viola and fixed media), Carlsbad Music Festival, Carlsbad, CA
Friday, June 28, 2019 — Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti and Masaya Ozaki (version for voice/viola, guitar, and fixed media), Composers Meet Composers (Wandelweiser / HEIM.ART Mentoring Project), Neufelden, Austria
Friday, April 6, 2018 — Alice Teyssier (flute/voice), Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti (viola), Ashley Jackson (harp), The Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, New York