Because of the similarities of its timbre to that of the sho (mouth organ) and the pipe organ, the sound of the accordion, for me, evokes a certain spirituality, a religious sublimity. I wanted to capture that image in a serene space and time. The longing for the sound is always backed by purity. That is the first step into the sacred precincts. The piece was composed between December of 1997 and May of 1998, and was first performed at the the Tenri Gallery in New York City in August 1998 by William Schimmel. It was written for a standard accordion with 120 bases and 41 keys.

Akemi Naito