Rising – Fujikura, Zawazawa
Dai Fujikura – Zawazawa
Sunrise, Wednesday April 1
Moving on from March.
The Sun is rising on a distressed world and we've responding to its fealty with an exuberant opening to the month of April. May it be one of Sun and renewal.
Exuberance is surely the word that best describes Dai Fujikura's Zawazawa, which we co-commissioned with the Tokyo Philharmonic Choir in 2016. We can't remember another time when rehearsals began with such trepidation (it's crazy to sing) and culminated in a performance so uplifting and exhilarating. Zawazawa is based on Japanese onomatopoeia set next to English text by Dai's frequent collaborator, Harry Ross. Dai explains:
Japanese onomatopoeia are serious. There are Haiku and other poems written only using onomatopoeia. Apparently at a doctor's office in Japan, a Japanese GP can diagnose many patients quickly, because patients can describe their pain with onomatopoeia, which are a precise and unique linguistic form.
We love to sing Zawazawa (which means noisy) because it feels like every measure is spontaneous – as if Dai took these graphic, aurally tantalizing words and blew life into them, like dandelions gone to seed requiring the wind to reach their fullest beauty in flight. In Zawazawa, the sounds inspire the musical gestures, and the musical gestures magnify the sounds.
This is a big sing – a fifteen-minute festival of color and light. Sit back, join us, feel us smiling.
Take that March of 2020, we're finished with you! We're zawazawa!
– The Whole Team @ The Crossing
Zawazawa
music by Dai Fujikura
English text by Harry Ross
co-commissioned with the Tokyo Philharmonic Choir and premiered by them December 16, 2016
recorded in concert at The Month of Moderns
June 24, 2017 at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
audio by Paul Vazquez of Digital Mission Audio Services
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Find the entire text document HERE
The poem is a graphic work of art laid out over many pages, containing sentences like these:
leaves leaves were own onw ly on on-ly ly just just start start-ing to to crash
will you
be be un-un-un-der-der-stood stodd un-der-der-stand-stand-ing
light-light-light-light-light-light-light-light-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning struck struck struck struck struck struck
and stanzas like this:
skies skies skies skies skies skies skies skies grey grey is is is grey is grey is is sky sky sky is sky is grey grey is is is grey is grey is is sky sky sky is sky is grey grey is is is grey is grey is is sky sky sky is sky is grey grey is is is grey is grey is is sky sky sky is sky is feel feel east east east feel east feel eyes eyes why why why eyes why eyes east east feel feel feel east feel east why why eyes eyes eyes why eyes why feel feel east east east feel east feel eyes eyes why why why eyes why eyes east east feel feel feel east feel east why why eyes eyes eyes why eyes why feel feel east east east feel east feel eyes eyes why why why eyes why eyes east east feel feel feel east feel east why why eyes eyes eyes why eyes why curl curl find find find curl find curl climb climb tide tide tide climb tide climb curl curl find find find curl find curl climb climb tide tide tide climb tide climb curl curl find find find curl find curl climb climb tide tide tide climb tide
iiiiii teach teach teach teach iiii will will will will tell tell iii will will will will tell tell tell tell you you you you that that that that that that that that you you you you do do do do do do not not not not not not that that that that you you you you you you do do do do do do you you you you do do do you you know know a-a-ny-ny-thing-thing a-ny-thing-thing-thing-thing a-a-a-any- ny-ny-ny-thing-thing-thing-thing you you you you you you know know know know know know you you you you know know know know iii don't don't don't don't know know know know
Zawazawa Onomatopoeia Dictionary:
zawazawa = noisy; murmuring
sawasawa = rustling
sutto = quickly, all of sudden
satto = suddenly
sotto = softly; gently
kosokoso = sneakily; secretly
kasakasa = rustle; dry
potsupotsu = a trifle, a bit
tekuteku = trudgingly; going long way at steady pace
tobotobo = weakly, totteringly
sekaseka = fidget, restlessness, fidgetiness
mesomeso = sobbingly, tearfully
tokotoko = briskly with small steps; trotting
bochibochi = bit by bit, step by step, gradually
kachikachi = stubborn, unregenerate, obstinate
hokuhoku = steaming-hot
bachibachi = spark
soyosoyo = breeze (sound representing a soft wind)
gasagasa = harshness, roughness, rustle
barabara = scattered, disperse, loose
pitapita = tightly, pasty, pastelike