Noriko Kawai, the pianist, is known for her extraordinary repertoire range, from Renaissance composers to new music, and for juxtaposing standard and contemporary works.
Composition History
The Book of Elements is a cycle of piano works in five volumes, with each volume having a progressively diminishing number of pieces.
Compositional Technique
The five volumes of The Book of Elements are metaphorically associated with the five elements of oriental cosmology: air, water, earth, fire, and the 'void'.
Recording & Production
This disc was recorded at Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffolk, in December 2003, using a Steinway D piano.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dillon's music is deeply concerned with how musical ideas change and how such changes may be effected, influenced by his upbringing on the west coast of Scotland where nature is "forever in flux."
Composer Biography
James Dillon, the composer, never formally studied composition and played in Scottish pipe and rock bands in his teens.
Compositional Technique
The title "The Book of Elements" refers to both "irresoluble substance" (as in chemistry) and the ancient belief in elements as the "foundation" of everything.
