Composition Description

by Jim Harley
The so-called "Pierrot" ensemble, in honor of Schoenberg's influential piece, has been one of the most popular
instrumental combinations of the twentieth century. Without the voice, it consists of two woodwinds flute and
clarinet!, two strings violin and cello!, and piano. "t's a configuration that lends itself well to counterpoint, and that is
#ust not something that $ree% iconoclast composer "annis &ena%is has been %nown for. Perhaps it isn't surprising then,
that he did not turn his attention to the "Pierrot" ensemble until very late in his career'())* in fact, at the age of +,.
-y that time, though, &ena%is had been very much concerned with counterpoint, though his approach to this traditional
realm was entirely original, being based first and foremost on principals of te.tural combination and perception.
Plekt means "braids," a term that refers to the contrapuntal weaving of strands into a whole. &ena%is treats the
notion of strand in an abstract and deeply musical way, applying it to shifting elements throughout the piece. /ne
braid is the #u.taposition of linear, melodic material with more chordal, percussive elements. The piano provides the
balance to the sustaining instruments, and &ena%is enlists additional percussion to add bul% to the piano's strand. 0t
other times, the woodwinds are paired against the strings, while on occasion the flute and violin are set against the
clarinet and cello. There are passages of chromatic origin while others come from fi.ed collections of pitches. There
are passages for solo piano, and briefer ones for solo percussion, but in general the music proceeds rather continuously,
ine.orably. Typical of &ena%is' late wor%s, the tempo is very slow, ma%ing it e.traordinarily difficult for the performer
to pro#ect the braids over such long time-spans. There is a passage toward the end of Ple%t1 where each instrument
enters in its own tempo, each one very slow, but each moving according to a precise rhythmic relationship to the
others and to an ongoing, implied pulse. The melodic material is abstract li%e -ach's late contrapuntal wor%s!, which
often incorporate large leaps and irregular rhythms. -ut the continuous flow, together with the more rhythmically
articulate material of the piano and percussion, provide the momentum that carries the wor% to its completion. Ple%t1
is further evidence of &ena%is' ability to mold traditional concepts into his own uni2ue design.