Written for solo piano, "Rain Calling Autumn", consists of three pieces. The title is taken from a poem by Nakaya Nakahara. Each of the three pieces develops an acoustical idea as an important compositional concept. This idea in effect defines the direction of each piece. 

The first piece uses no special sound effects and relies on traditional piano performance. Confronted with a piano as an instrument, one of my challenges was how to express the self in a language of one who lives in this modern era. 
In the second piece, the combination of the use of the sostenuto pedal and the silent depression of tone clusters in the low register brings out a deeply sonorous reverberation. I wanted to draw effectively with this sound world in hand as the main subject. 
In the third piece, the gong-like sound, which is achieved by inserting a dime (US 10 cents coin) between the C-sharp strings inside the piano, permeates the whole. 
There is no direct correlation of the title to this music. 

The first piece was composed in August 1991, the second in August 1992, and the third in October 1994. It is dedicated to Aki Takahashi.

Akemi Naito