Baron Piquant's Pas de Trois

“Baron Piquant’s Pas de Trois is one of a series of dance pieces based on characters drawn from voodoo lore; the previous ones are Baron Cimetiere’s Mambo, Son of Cimetiere, Baron Samedi’s Sarabande (and Soft Shoe), Baron La Croix’s Shuffle and Baron Piquant on Pointe. The four Barons are all members of the family Ghede, the spirits in charge of the intersection between the living and the dead. Despite this grim association, the Barons have a lighter side. All three are notorious tricksters with a marked fondness for brandy and tobacco. All dress alike – in black tailcoats and tall black hats, dark glasses with one lens missing, and carry canes and smoke cigars. The music depicts both their dark and light sides. Textures are primarily transparent and ethereal, but the atmosphere of all four works is a bit sinister, mordant and menacing.”

This work was written for Pat and Mary Stuckemeyer.

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