Hints of music from the Far East, namely the Japanese pentatonic (sometimes modified), appear in many works of Debussy such as Chansons de Bilitis and...

Hints of music from the Far East, namely the Japanese pentatonic (sometimes modified), appear in many works of Debussy such as Chansons de Bilitis and Le Martyre de Saint-Sebastien as well as in several of the Preludes for piano. The answer to these Preludes on behalf of Japanese composers is a form of musical Haiku or rather Waka (respondent poem). It presents the chosen Prelude in a new perspective and illustrates for the listener Debussy‘s relationship to Japanese culture. In return, Debussy‘s huge influence on Japanese composers becomes perceptible as a source of inspiration for them. As a homage to Claude Debussy the six Japanese composers Takashi Fujii, Satoshi Minami, Asako Miyaki, Kumiko Omura, Takayuki Rai und Yasuko Yamaguchi each wrote a piece for clarinet and harp that is related to one of the preludes by Debussy. These preludes are originally composed for piano solo and were transcribed for clarinet and harp by Duo Imaginiare.