Description
Video
Salina Fisher: woman 女 beneath a wave 波
Performed by Stroma: Komako Silver (taonga puoro), Alan Molina (violin), Ken Ichinose (cello), Thomas Guldborg (percussion), Michelle Velvin (harp), Salina Fisher (koto) and Mark Carter (conductor) at City Gallery Wellington (Wellington, New Zealand)
Duration
5 min
Commissioner
Commissioned by Classical on Cuba 2022
Instrumentation
taonga pūoro, vibraphone, harp, koto, violin, violoncello
Program Notes
Read the poem by Nina Mingya Powles that inspired Salina Fisher’s woman 女 beneath a wave 波.
This poem resonates with me on many levels, and I chose the instrumentation for my piece to reflect its overall feeling and some specific references. Rather than being sung or spoken, the words are projected on a screen, in sections, for the audience to read while the music unfolds. Nina’s poem has a beautiful way of exploring linguistic differences between her and her late grandmother, based around the word/character 婆 which also means ‘grandmother’ in Japanese. For me, playing koto is a way of connecting with my Japanese ancestors.
–Salina Fisher