SOME GAMES PLAYED OVER THOUSANDS OF MILES

Haruka Fujii & Karen Ouzounian

Over the course of a month, Haruka Fujii and Karen Ouzounian immersed themselves in the joint creation of this piece, connecting across thousands of miles from New York to Northern California through video calls (increasing in frequency from once every few days to multiple times a day) and texts, layering music over each other’s recordings, editing, sharing feedback, re-recording, and often changing course. In this period of remoteness and distance, of crisis and painful reckonings, they leaned on and supported each other. This piece is an outgrowth and reflection of their deepening friendship.

The underlying DNA of this piece comes from two children’s songs: the Japanese song Tohryanse, describing the rite of passage of a seven year-old child (the journey to a shrine, where the path is easy on the way there but difficult on the way back), and the Armenian song Jan Jan Jan Ashun E, which revels in the rituals of autumn—the fruits being harvested and enjoyed (pears, apples, grapes, pomegranates) and children returning to school. Both songs share an autumnal quality and pay homage to life’s cycles—the changing of seasons, coming of age, and traveling life’s path.

Channeling the exuberant spirit of children, the compositional process began with wild, free explorations of sounds and timbres. The opening, for instance, began as a game of improvisation, and over time the musical materials explored became highly focused. This combination of playful interactivity and tightly woven material continues throughout the piece as it travels through musical games and conversations, new grooves emerge, and one is pushed and pulled in different directions. It’s an adventure through a child’s fantasy world, a dreamy stream of consciousness, both with moments of dancing and nostalgia.

The two composers are now working in collaboration with the Peruvian Japanese artist Nomi Sasaki, who is developing a visual layer to the work drawing from themes of childhood and using Chinese black ink, color markers and a drawing machine. Peruvian rhythmic elements were also incorporated in the piece, reflecting musical memories from Nomi’s childhood.

About Haruka Fujii
About Karen Ouzounian
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