Cello Articulation of high “A” Okaeri II asks for repeated high “A”, and the articulation of each note should be observed carefully. All high “A” suddenly starts with indicated dynamics (otherwise indicated with cresc. from niente “ o “) and stay constantly until further indication. Gestural and active with great sense of concentration and precision in spite of very soft and fragile sound character. Extremely slow over-pressured bow. Maximum pressure of the bow, but the bow moves so slow that it is impossible to create a continuous note. Maximum 1 or 2 granular “clicks” per second. Keep it irregular and not mechanical.
col legno battuto Always only the wooden part of the bow. Loud and violent.
Fragmented high “A” The high “A” appears in many different forms (short, long, with vibrato/bending, etc), and is often fragmented. Follow the graphical notation to see when the high “A” reappears, (indicated with wavy line). The phrase should sound as if it is supposed to be a linear phrase but the music is so transparent that the sound occasionally disappears and becomes inaudible for just a brief moment. Circular bowing Damp the G and D strings with left hand palm, and move the bow in circular motion. Very slow in speed (ca 3 or 4 circle each bar). It should be much slower than the object player stirring the spark shaker. Very light bow pressure (molto flaut.) to achieve only scraping noise without any pitch or squeaking of the bow.
Whispering
All whispering should be pronounced clearly without letting the vocal cord to vibrate.
Physical movements
All physical movements throughout the performance should be well planned and organic as if practicing martial arts. Keep every gesture (picking up instrument, turning page, etc) subtle and concentrated.
Uchiwa and Hurin Uchiwa: Japanese hand fan with any design, but preferably made of wood and paper.
Hurin: A simple Japanese summer wind chime made of either glass or metal with very simple and clear sound quality.
Raise the Uchiwa in the air. Gently fan the air with extremely slow and relaxing manner with an organic physical movement and meditative mind. Keep changing the speed (fragmented air flow). Move naturally without any sudden movement. Imagine your fan is moving the whole atmosphere and bending the time space. Occasionally (not too often) fan the Hurin, and let it ring.