Influential Pieces: Kaija Saariaho - Cendres - Part 1

Kaija Saariaho's Cendres for alto flute, cello and piano is for me one of the most influential pieces of chamber music.  Composed in 1998 Cendres was commissioned for the Wolpe Trio.  The word cendres is French for ashes.  The basis of the musical material was derived from Saariaho's double concerto ...a la fumée (1990) for alto flute, cello and orchestra.  The title Cendres is appropriate as the English translation of "a la fumée" is "into smoke."  ...a la fumée is part of the music diptych paired with Du Cristal (1990) for orchestra.  The whole translation of the title of the diptych is "From crystal into smoke."

Saariaho has noted that in composing Cendres special attention was paid to the balance of two extremes of musical performance.  Tension was created and controlled throughout by the instruments coming close in terms of range, rhythm, dynamics, articulation and tone color and by allowing each instrument to express the musical ideas in their own idiomatic way.  Saariaho believes that it is in these extremes where one can find infinite possibilities to create more or less homogenic musical structures.

The instrumentation of Cendres allows Saariaho the ability to explore the area between the two extremes.  Each instrument in the ensemble produces tones in different ways.  In addition these instruments have a couple of different ways in which it can produce notes.  This gives Saariaho a larger palette from which she can compose.  At the same time these instruments can blend together to make more homogenic combinations.  In the liner notes for this piece Saariaho stated, "awareness of this variety was the rope on which I was balancing when working on the piece."  Saariaho was able to brilliantly navigate this rope.