Recorded on the album Intertwined (Albany Records)

Inspired by the Japanese gods of thunder and wind, 雷神 (Raijin) is an energetic explosion of music.  The raw power of the gods is unleashed with a furious rush of notes and brilliant flashes of color that transform the instruments into forces of nature. The thunder god Raijin’s storm is set loose, driving forcefully from the start of the piece. The middle section unfolds as a series of solo passages for the various instruments, including a long solo for shakuhachi and then shinobue, which together evoke Raijin’s companion Fujin (風神), the god of wind. Raijin’s fury returns at the end of the piece, building ever more powerfully and culminating in a thunderous solo passage for drums, followed by a final violent release as the tempestuous god suddenly recedes.