Character Pieces: An Ephemeral Hand is a collection of five small pieces for piano solo. Each little piece is based on the Japanese character (kanji) of an animal. Although the print of any character is standardized and uniform, it’s written realization is more free. Of course, one can be taught the stroke order and proportions of character, but in the end, writing is a very personal thing. In calligraphy, the different possibilities (and possible differences) in performing a character are even more apparent and lifted to an art. As in calligraphy, in Character Pieces: An Ephemeral Hand, each stroke has to possess… spirit.
I. The One-Tailed Dragon
II. Turtle and Crane
III. Spotted Deer
IV. Two Frogs
V. Monkey
Performance duration: 5’
Written 2022 and dedicated to Wim Henderickx.