Eero Trio: Omari Rush – clarinet, Nathan Jasinski – cello, Veena Kulkarni – piano

Program note:

The title of the rondeau Fumeux fume par fumee of the late 14th century French court composer Solage can be translated as: The smoker smokes smoke. It is one of the most unusual sounding pieces from the repertoire of this period. The very low tessitura of the piece, combined with Solage’s unique harmonic palette projected via progressive sequence techniques gives Fumeux fume its shadowy, somewhat enigmatic character.

I was drawn to the piece during a period of study of the music of the late 14th and early 15th centuries so much so that I decided to make it thecentral musical protagonist in my own work. The trio presents Solage’s rondeau in excerpts over the course of the piece, most often in the dark Chalumeau register of the clarinet coupled with muted cello playing double-stops. The larger musical framework of the trio is that of an expansive nocturne. I have found that while my hearing tends to be more acute at night (or at least, in the dark), my brain seems to misinterpret what I am actually hearing much more so than during the day. This disconnect tends to invite the imagination to fill in the gaps in what is actually being perceived. I hope to capture that feeling (speculacion in the Solage’s text) in the music of the trio that surrounds Solage’s own reflections on perception.

Text of the rondeau Fumeux Fume of Solage:

Fumeux fume par fumee, The smoker smokes smoke,

Fumeuse speculacion. A smoky speculation.

Qu’antre fummet sa pensee, While others smoke in thought,

Fumeux fume par fumee. The smoker smokes smoke.

Quar fumer molt il agree For the smoke pleases him greatly

Tant qu’il ait son entencion. As he meditates.

Fumeux fume par fumee, The smoker smokes smoke,

Fumeuse speculacion. A smoky speculation.