electrocd

Montréal-mafia

Christian Bouchard

  • Year of composition: 2013-14
  • Duration: 15:01
  • Instrumentation: 8-channel fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • ISWC: T3180381226

Stereo

ISRC CAD502310009

  • 44,1 kHz, 16 bits

For this piece, I called on my fellow location sound recordists — there’s more than a hundred of us according to the Association québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS). I asked from whoever was willing to participate to capture 15 minutes of sound wherever they are, inside or outside, objects of any kind, even musical instruments, as you please! This 15-minute take had to begin at 9 pm on September 26, 2013. I had chosen that time so that human activity would be not too extreme outside… and to recruit as many participants as possible… I got three, four including myself. Compared to the symphony orchestra I was hoping for, all I had was a quartet… I decided to carry on with the project just the same! So these are the four aural points of view: mechanical activity at the Port of Montréal, Liébert street, south of Notre-Dame street, by Jean-Jacques Bourdeau; a conversation at the dinner table in a loft inside the old Cadbury manufacturing plant in Montréal, by Simon Goulet; activity in the kitchen of an expensive restaurant, downtown Montréal, by Simon Brien; a wide vista on Montréal from the Mont-Royal’s Kondiaronk Belvedere, by Christian Bouchard.

At the Port of Montréal: metallic impacts, engine sounds, the “beeps” of backing cargo handling machines. At the dinner table: discussions about a collusion scandal at the City of Montréal, the mafia, drugs, the Pope, a documentary film, tiny bugs, education, satellites, and a lot more… At the restaurant: two tunas, then four, are ordered, tables 53 and 108 are English speakers, the chef is giving directives, and then he seems to not appreciate the presence of microphones and asks the recordist to get his gear out of there after only eight minutes. On the mountain, the breath of the city is quite monotonous, except for kids playing nearby as they understand that there is nothing to listen to.

[English translation: François Couture, iv-23]


Montréal-mafia was realized in 2013-14 at the composer’s studio in Montréal and was premiered on December 1st, 2016 as part of the concert Électrochoc 3: Christian Bouchard at the Studio multimédia of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. Heartfelt thanks to Jean-Jacques Bourdeau, Simon Brien and Simon Goulet. This work was realized with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA).

Composition

Premiere

  • December 1, 2016, Électrochoc 2016-17: Électrochoc 3: Christian Bouchard, Studio multimédia — Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)