"Since my introduction to the writings of Czeslaw Milosz, I have admired and been inspired by his work as I have by few others," Hersch said in a statement. "Over the years I have waited for an appropriate opportunity to incorporate his words into a work."

Hersch got his chance when Midori asked him to write a piece for violin and piano in 2002.

"I find the power and conciseness of his words so absolute that I did not want to set them literally to music," the composer said. "What I wanted to do was write companion pieces to them‹a collection of pieces that would complement the text as much as the text would complement the music‹but leaving the text as I found it: on the page."

Midori and pianist Robert McDonald perform the wreckage of flowers in Madrid, Barcelona, London, Glasgow, and Munich before bringing the work to Carnegie Hall on December 7. They also perform it in Osaka and Tokyo in January.