During the 1960s Peter Sculthorpe became deeply engaged with Japanese culture and these three exquisite pieces from 1971 – entitled ‘Snow Moon and Flowers’, ‘Night’, and ‘Stars’ – were the result. The opening movement (really three pieces in one) is based on the notion of setsugekka. ‘The concept is concerned with metamorphosis,’ wrote Sculthorpe, ‘moonlight, for instance may make snow of flowers, and flowers of snow; and the moon itself may be viewed as an enormous snowflake or a giant white flower.’
"Music of quality. . .delicate, harplike textures. They are evocative little sketches of a distinctly impressionistic kind."
Musical Times (Frank Dawes), August 1975
