Performed by Lindsey Warne (flute), Clara Ruiz Medina (clarinet), and Honoka Masuyama (marimba) for the Foot in the Door concert on March 3, 2026.

Esprit rude/Esprit doux II was composed for the celebration of Pierre Boulez’s 70th birthday on March 30, 1995, in Chicago. The title, translated as “rough breathing/smooth breathing,” refers to the pronunciation of classical Greek words beginning with a vowel or a ρ. With esprit rude (rough breathing), the initial vowel is to be preceded by a sounded H, and is indicated by a reversed comma above the letter. With esprit doux (smooth breathing), the initial vowel is not to be preceded by H and is indicated by a comma above the vowel. In Greek for seventieth year (transliterated as hebdomekoston etos), the initial epsilon of the first word has a rough breathing sigh while the epsilon of the second has a smooth one. – Elliott Carter