This is a new piece from Sketches of Seasons and Scenes, a collection of short works written around the theme of “atmospheric pieces for pianists with small hands who cannot comfortably reach octave double notes.”

The work is built on the whole-tone scale and, as the subtitle suggests, draws inspiration from the musical language of Debussy. While it occasionally carries a distinctly Debussyan color, the harmonic language also incorporates my own ideas and sensibilities.

Because the piece includes frequent and sometimes complex modulations, and features technically demanding leaps toward the end, the overall difficulty level is somewhat advanced.

The title “Floréal” refers to a month in the French Republican Calendar, roughly corresponding to April–May. This calendar was introduced after the French Revolution as a modern, decimal-based system intended to replace the Gregorian calendar. Each month was given a poetic name associated with seasonal imagery. In practice, however, the system never fully took hold due to its divergence from long-standing conventions, and it was abolished after only about twelve years.

Debussy’s piano music often has the refreshing quality of a breeze passing through the season of Floréal. Many young pianists spend their early training repeatedly practicing mechanical, sometimes tedious études. Then one day they encounter a Debussy piece for the first time—and suddenly discover an entirely new sonic world, as if the concept of music itself acquires color. This work attempts to capture that familiar moment from youth: the instant when one first falls in love with a piece of music.