Portrait of Forest (solo marimba)

Toshi Ichiyanagi (b. 1933)
Portrait of Forest, for solo marimba (1983)
Portrait of Forest reveals two prominent stylistic and philosophical influences from John Cage: silence and indeterminacy. This piece is in an ABA’ form. The A sections sound sparse and out of time. Short atonal gestures are spaced apart by silences, making the silences just as important as the sounds. The lack of written bar lines and the many fluctuations in tempo leave much up to the performer. This piece will almost invariably never sound the same twice and this indeterminacy helps to give the piece a very natural and organic feel. - Nick Baker
“I was only related to the forest when I was staying in USA. I remember quite impressively that I used to ramble in the forest near the suburb of New York with my family accompanying John Cage to gather mushrooms or wild grass. For me, the forest is the starting point to consider the environmental issue through music.” -Toshi Ichinayagi
Performed by Nicholas Adam Baker on March 12, 2011, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music at the University of New Mexico.