“As the national flower of Japan, Sakura (cherry blossom) is a symbol of renewal, hope and optimism as its emergence represents the commencement of spring, the first season of a new year. Also, the brief blooming season of Sakura represents the brevity of the human life cycle and the philosophy of treasuring every moment. There are always ups and downs, and our time should be spent on embracing good memories and practising empathy instead of resenting trials and tribulations. These concepts are reflected in the wakas (short poems) by 3 Japanese poets - Ki no Tomonori, Ono no Komachi and Motoori Norinaga - that this music composition mostly based on.

Apart from the exact text of the poems, the title word “sakura” is also frequently reiterated by the mezzo-soprano and baritone parts throughout the music composition with the accompaniment of violin, piano and tape, the latter of which includes processed ambient noises (e.g. bird chirps, creek, rain, thunder) to enhance the audience’s virtual experience of the nature during their participation of this musical journey.”