After a tumultuous year of uncertainty due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Dolce Hōgaku Ensemble gave a world premiere performance of James Finamore’s most recent work for traditional Japanese instruments, Rebirth, at Dolce Hall on November 8, 2020. The premiere was originally scheduled to be held at the Saitama branch for its regular performance series in March, but was rescheduled with the support of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, which provided a business subsidy.
Rebirth explores the intricate life of a tree by examining a possible selection of pivotal moments throughout a tree’s lifecycle. These experiences include the tree’s birth as a seed during the sowing season, an early memory of a light rainfall, and a thunderstorm that gives way to a forest fire that is too perilous for the tree to survive. It is through the fire and flames and out of the ashes that a seed is born and an old spirit renewed.