The Sequoia Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon

JB 119

The Sequoia Trio | Jenni Brandon Oboe, B-Flat Clarinet, Bassoon

The Sequoia Trio For Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon

Music by Jenni Brandon

I. Sequoiadendron giganteum: The Big Tree "Southward the giants become more and more irrepressibly jubilant, heaving their massive crowns into the sky from every ridge and slope, waving onward in graceful compliance with the complicated topography of the region."

Tree Interlude One II. "A crowd of hopeful young trees and saplings..."

"But here for every old storm-beaten giant there are many in their prime and for each of these a crowd of hopeful young trees and saplings, growing vigorously on moraines, rocky ledges, along water courses and meadows."

III. The Three Graces "Groups of two or three (sequoias) are often found standing close together...They are called "loving couples," "three graces," etc... By the time they are full-grown their trunks will touch and crowd against each other..."

Tree Interlude Two IV. The Noble Trees "...the Big Trees (sequoia gigantean), the king of all the conifers in the world, 'the noblest of the noble race.’"

Quotes taken from The Yosemite, 1912 by John Muir Text is in the public domain.

Program Note The inspiration for The Sequoia Trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon came from a visit to Sequoia National Park in California.

Seeing the incredible size and beauty of the trees in person and reading John Muir’s book The Yosemite inspired the story told in this work.

In movement one, the words that struck me of Muir’s were “graceful compliance” in that, although these trees are massive, there is still something gentle and approachable in their fluid motions. The opening waving pattern creates the gentle breeze as the growth of the tree starts in the bassoon, moving through the clarinet and all the way to the top of the trees with the oboe. “A crowd of hopeful young trees and saplings…” is sassy and jazzy, giving the young trees the kind of resilient attitude that they must maintain in order to survive.

“The Three Graces” plays on the idea of the three instruments in the ensemble and Muir’s own reference to Greek mythology, or the goddesses of charm, beauty, and creativity. I loved the idea that these trees might stand next to each other, yet separately, for years, but eventually their trunks “will touch and crowd against each other”. Each instrument takes its turn becoming part of this conglomeration by leaving the tutti staccato patterns with a held note and then launching into the melody while the other two continue the staccato pattern of growth. Finally, in “The Noble Trees”, the instruments play a hymnlike tribute to the largest living things on earth, ending with remembrances of the opening movement and their gracefully waving branches.

Following movement one and movement three are “Tree Interlude One” and “Tree Interlude Two.” These represent the individual voice of a tree, allowing it to speak out across the forest and tell us its story and the history it has seen for thousands of years.

Thanks to the efforts of John Muir the Sequoia Trees are available to us in all their splendor and I hope that The Sequoia Trio gives you a glimpse at their majesty and inspires you to listen to the trees’ ancient wisdom and protect them for generations to come.

Premiered by the Vientos Trio of Los Angeles during a composer residency in 2008-2009, this work appears on two CDs: Songs of California: Music for Winds and Piano and Dr. Lindabeth Binkley’s debut CD From Earth and Sky: Music of Jenni Brandon on Blue Griffin Recording.

Jenni Brandon is a composer and conductor, creating music in collaboration with other musicians and artists. She has written over 70 works, telling stories through memorable musical lines influenced by nature and poetry.

Commissioned to write music from solo to orchestral works, her music appears on over 21 albums. Her music has been awarded the Sorel Medallion, American Prize, Paderewski Cycle, Women Composers Festival of Hartford International Competition, and Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition among others.

Her works are published and distributed by Boosey & Hawkes, Santa Barbara Music, Graphite, TrevCo, Imagine, J.W. Pepper, June Emerson, Theodore Front, and her own publishing company Jenni Brandon Music. As a conductor she conducted her one-act opera 3 PADEREWSKIS in the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center. She also presents workshops on collaboration and the business of music, striving to create a supportive environment where collaboration leads to an exploration of ideas.

Visit jennibrandon.com to learn more.

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