Francis Dhomont: … et autres utopies: track detail

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… et autres utopies
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1. Here and There (2003) 10m09s imed_0682-1.1 | 10119 | ISRC CAD500619950

Commission: NAISA, with support from the CCA

Premiere: May 11, 2003, Open Ears, 4th Festival of Music and Sound (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)

MP3 Real

To Darren Copeland and David Eagle

The title could have been “Spatial planes,” since the piece’s intention mainly presents different models of sound progression within three-dimensional space. It is therefore a study. But a very liberal study that does not try to demonstrate, nor does it rules out lyricism. Formally, it is presented like a suite of short pieces aimed at the various perceptions of spatialized sounds. The listener will be able to identify various types of spatial gestures — moving/still, punctual/plethoric, near/far — as well as acoustic images playing with localizations, trajectories, masses and sound textures. However this principle of articulation, even if it provides the focus of the piece, does not have to hinder the simple pleasure found in aural immersion.

In its original live 8-channel version, this acousmatic piece gives the spotlight back to the performer, as it pairs up six preprogrammed channels (through Darren Copeland’s Audiobox) and two live-mix channels (through David Eagle’s aXi0 Controller).

[English translation: François Couture, viii-06]

Here and There was realized in 2003 in the composer’s studio in Montréal. The present version is a stereophonic reduction; although the spatial variations are less obvious, the essence of the work remains space itself. The work was premiered by David Eagle and Darren Copeland on May 11, 2003 during Open Ears, 4th Festival of Music and Sound in Kitchener (Ontario). Here and There was commissioned by New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) in Toronto with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Here and There was awarded First Prize at the 5th Concorso Internazionale di Composizione Musicale Elettronica Pierre Schaeffer (Pescara, Italy, 2005) and was recorded on the disc 5°/4° Concorso Internazionale di Composizione Musicale Elettronica Pierre Schaeffer.

2. Je te salue, vieil océan! (1998, 2000-04) 14m54s imed_0682-1.2 | 10135 | ISRC CAD500619960

Commission: IMEB

Premiere: May 31, 1999, Festival Synthèse (Bourges, France)

MP3 Real

To the ”disciple” and master Christian Calon

“Ancient ocean, O great celibate… tell me then whether the Prince of Darkness resides in you. … for I will rejoice in the knowledge that Hell lies so near to Man.” —“Song I,” The Songs of Maldoror (Les chants de Maldoror) (1869), Lautréamont (1846-70).

The ocean referred to here is the one evoked by Lautréamont in his fantastic imprecations in The Songs of Maldoror — selected excerpts are read by Marc-Henri Boisse —, an extreme and Satanic universe still attached to Romanticism yet foretelling surrealist poetry. These storms, these breaking waves, this undertow, these hurricanes have little to do with reality — this is a metaphorical ocean, a maritime archetype, whose sound material was obtained either through the treatment of acoustic sounds or synthesis, except for a few rare initial field recordings.

[English translation: François Couture, viii-06]

Je te salue, vieil océan! (Hail, Ancient Ocean!) was realized in the studios of the Institut international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB, France) in 1998 and was premiered on May 31, 1999 as part of Synthèse, the Festival international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (France). The current version - which supersedes the previous one - was completely reworked in 2000-04 in the composer’s studio in Montréal and was premiered on June 5, 2005 as part of Synthèse, the Festival international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (France). It was commissioned by the Institut international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB, France). Thanks to Marc-Henri Boisse, recorded voice.

Chroniques de la lumière (1989, 2005) 29m12s imed_0682-1.3 | 18143 | ISRC CAD500619970

Commission: SMCQ, with support from the CCA

Premiere: April 26, 1989, Spectrum (Montréal, Québec)

Miroitements [Shimmers]; Artifices; Météores [Meteors]

To Annette Vande Gorne

These “Chronicles” are an impressionistic sonic version of visual elements — an undoubtedly metaphorical act -, a personal daydream of light based on a concept by Montréal visual artist Luc Courchesne.

An evocation of luminous phenomena, natural rays or multiple artifacts, Chroniques de la lumière (Chronicles of Light) is comprised of three movements: Miroitements (Shimmers), Artifices, Météores (Meteors) or adagio, allegro and presto-finale.

An evolution from slow to fast, calm to agitated, piano to forte, static to mobile, simple to complex.

[English translation: François Couture, viii-06]

Chroniques de la lumière (Chronicles of Light) was realized at the composer’s studio and was premiered on April 26, 1989 at the Doppler Concert of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), at the Spectrum in Montréal. The proportions of Météores went through slight modifications in 2005; that particular movement is thus a new version. Chroniques de la lumière was first released on the Halogènes compact disc produced by the Université de Montréal on the UMMUS-Actuelles label (UMM C 101). Météores (1989) was released by empreintes DIGITALes in 1991 on Mouvances~Métaphores (IMED 9107/08), and in 1996 on Les dérives du signe (IMED 9608). Miroitements was selected by the 1995 International Computer Music Conference (ICMC95) in Banff (Canada); Artifices was selected by the 1994 International Computer Music Conference (ICMC94) in Århus (Denmark); Météores (1989) was selected by the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) for the 1990 World Music Days in Oslo (Norway), and by the 1993 International Computer Music Conference (ICMC93) in Tokyo (Japan). Many of the sounds were realized at Studio 123 and with the SYTER real-time sound synthesis system of the Ina-GRM (Paris, France). Special thanks to Yann Geslin, Daniel Teruggi and the late Bénédict Mailliard for their invaluable advice. Chroniques de la lumière was commissioned by the SMCQ and realized with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts.

3. Miroitements (1989) 8m05s imed_0682-1.3.3 | 18144 |

MP3 Real

Miroitements is based on the progressive mutations of light in natural settings: aurora and twilight, the slow ascension of the moon, the way a cloud’s shadow moves on the ground, the reflection of sunlight over still water.

4. Artifices (1989) 10m24s imed_0682-1.3.4 | 18145 | ISRC CAD500619980

Artifices evokes man-made light sources, from a primitive campfire to the sophisticated laser beam. This evolution is illustrated by a gradual movement from the entropic chaos of white noise to the precise tone of the sine wave.

5. Météores (1989, 2005) 10m43s imed_0682-1.3.5 | 14286 | ISRC CAD500619990

Commission: SMCQ, with support from the CCA

 

Météores concludes the work while answering and completing the first movement. It also focuses on various celestial phenomena, but unlike those found in the previous movements, these are extremely mobile: comets, meteor showers, meteorites. This movement follows a slow accumulation of events, an increase in density, and a reinforcement of the sensations of speed and kinetic energy.

 

 

6. Voyage-miroir (2004) 14m55s imed_0682-1.6 | 10339 | ISRC CAD500620000

Commission: Réseaux des arts médiatiques, with support from the CCA

Premiere: February 13, 2004, Rien à voir (15), Réseaux, Espace GO (Montréal, Québec)

MP3 Real

To Robert Normandeau, the composer and friend

Voyage-miroir is a replica of … mourir un peu (1984-87) and uses — in reverse order — the same themes (departure, fleeing, exile), since this mobility has always been with me. This mirror image of the vagrant metaphor finds its musical application in a crawfish-like form, a kind of contracted “speigelbild” of the 45-minute … mourir un peu, whose 10 movements are here brought down to 10 segueing sections presented in recurring order, with durations scaled down to a third of the originals. Like in … mourir un peu, the model selected here is the wave, whose dynamics is symbolized by the increasing and decreasing durations of the sections. The music is gradually thinned down until it disappears, putting in perspective the vanishing point of the reflection. The ebb and flow, an image “always reinitiated” of our desires, actions, experiences and hopes. Of live itself, and of death.

[English translation: François Couture, viii-06]

Voyage-miroir was realized in 2004 in the composer’s studio in Montréal and was premiered on February 13, 2004 during the Rien à voir (15) concert series at Espace GO in Montréal. The work was commissioned by Réseaux with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

7. Corps et âme (2001-02) 7m40s imed_0682-1.7 | 17628 | ISRC CAD500620010

Commission: Florence Gonot, Alexandre Yterce

Premiere: January 13, 2002, Salle Olivier Messiaen — Maison de Radio France (Paris, France)

MP3 Real

To the enthusiasm of Florence Gonot and Alexandre Yterce

The title Corps et âme (Body and Soul) attempts to convey a two-sided notion: body and soul, which are, according to some psychoanalysts — and despite common sense -, a single thing; plus the meaning of the expression “body and soul,” that is to involve oneself completely, entirely, passionately.

Sound materials I perceive — rather subjectively — as quite fleshy or rather ethereal (as in non-gravity) are intertwining and melting together in a common crescendo. The vocal origins of some of the material prove the presence of the body. A key element is taken from a previous work, Un certain embarquement, and constitutes the sensual pole of this double yet homozygous being.

The work was conceived in the light of a reflection on myself, on the basic orientations of my life, a sort of free anamnesis triggered by the investigation of the Sonopsys magazine whose first issue was dedicated to my work.

[English translation: François Couture, viii-06]

Corps et âme was realized in 2001-02 in the composer’s studio in Montréal and was premiered on January 13, 2002 at the Salle Olivier Messiaen, Maison de Radio France (Paris, France) during the Multiphonies concert produced by the Ina-GRM. The work was commissioned by Florence Gonot and Alexandre Yterce for Sonopsys magazine. Corps et âme was awarded one of the 5 first prizes at the ZKM’s Short Cuts: Beauty competition in July 2006 (Karlsruhe, Germany). Corps et âme was first released in 2003 on the companion disc of the book Sonopsys: Francis Dhomont.

Francis Dhomont: … et autres utopies: track detail

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