Sakura
Next to a weather forecast the Japanese Meteorological Agency also provides a blossom forecast: the sakura zensen (cherry blossom front) to which the Japanese pay close attention for their flower-viewing parties in parks, shrines and temples. The custom dates back many centuries.
Sakura (cherry blossom) is a Japanese icon and can be found everywhere. In art, on placemats, in literature and in music.
CD
Sakura
The folksong Sakura has numerous versions. Yuquijiro Yocoh composed variations on the Sakura theme and so created a beautiful solo piece; fragile, festive and very Japanese.
Bellefleur was written by the Dutch composer Pieter van der Staak. It’s a happy as well as melancholic tune and I find it a perfect fit with the meditative Sakura.
painting
The artwork of the cd shows a fragment of a painting by Dutch painter Hennie van der Vegt. The cd comes with a hook so you can hang your miniature van der Vegt.
