Recollections of the Inland Sea 

Japanese composer, Tsuneya Tanabe, composed Recollections of the Inland Sea for marimba virtuoso Makoto Nakura in 1997. The two-movement work is an introspective look into the composer's "interior vision of the sea.” At times, the flute and marimba create beautifully serene moments of calm, but this contrasts with violent, surging moments of intensity that make this piece of music an intense emotional journey.  

Here are the composer’s own comments on the composition: 

“A beautiful inland sea called Setonaikai lies in the middle of Japan. In my teens, I lived in a port town facing the inland. The title Recollections of the Inland Sea comes from the scenic impression that I had when I visited there as a grown-up. Needless to say, nobody can express in simple words the memories of one’s sensitive young days. In this music, I tried to express my interior vision of the sea, spreading out before me, which reminds me of the days of my boyhood.”