„Three Essays“ was commissioned by Ensemble Musikfabrik and was dedicated to me. Its unique and delicate texture combined with dynamic and powerful interjections is fascinating. Its initial melodic lines represent brush strokes of calligraphy and its glissando-like bending of the notes in  the final movement portray the chanting of Buddhist monks. It was a very moving experience to premiere this piece in 2016 in the DITIB central mosque in Cologne as part of the Acht Brücken Festival with the Motto: Music and Faith.

I first met and collaborated with Toshio Hosokawa in the early 80’s during my studies at the Freiburg Musikhochschule and have had the pleasure of conducting a number of his works with Studio Musikfabrik and with the PYO in Bangkok and have also performed his solo piece Nocturne for Bass Koto.

Peter Veale, August 2020