pour toi mon amour (2023)

flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano with sampler (7′)

performance

• november 28, 2023, yeaji jang (fl), jihoon yu (cl), hyebin jin (vln), jiyeong yoon (vlc), bomi lee (pf, spr), busan, south korea

program note

i went to the market of birds / and i bought birds / for you / my love

i went to the market of flowers / and i bought flowers / for you / my love

i went to the market of ironwork / and i bought chains / heavy chains / for you / my love

and then i went to the market of slaves / and i looked for you / but i did not find you there / my love

this is a poem by the french poet ‘jacques prévert’ titled ‘pour toi mon amour (for you, my love)’. the poem discusses love and obsession in human relationships. it says that possessiveness leads to separation.

however, when i read the poem, i perceived it differently. i focused on one word that was repeated, and that was ‘market’. the obsessions that the speaker of the poem has been maybe, in fact, ‘market’ the place and ‘purchasing’ the action. it stands out because it repeats equally with other elements. in that case, the word ‘you’ may symbolize oneself being trapped in this place and action, or trapped in money. it reflects our behavior within a capitalist system.

the piece begins with happiness which is quite irresponsible. the theme is presented, and it sounds like muzak, or christmas carols, heard in american supermarkets during boom times. soon, it becomes obsessed with a particular note and chord, the identity of the repeated sound is revealed, and it creates a sort of narrative. it raises the questions “what on earth are we doing?” and “is this right?”, however, it portrays that we soon conform and bind ourselves to the system again.