EarBrush (2014) by Hi Kyung Kim
for viola
World premiere

While I am staying in Seoul as a Fulbright scholar this year, 2014, I have been learning traditional brush painting. It looks simple, yet it is so hard even drawing one line correctly. There are four basic painting elements in this Asian brush painting: Cherry blossom, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo. (매.난.국.죽) One has to focus and balance so much in order to create a simple line — a line of an orchid leaf, for example. I was trying to draw the lines of the orchids in this viola music. Each line stands for itself. All of the possible factors in energy, strength, bending, direction, and root are compressed in this mini version of the piece.

This is to congratulate the 30 years of making music of Earplay!