Paul Lemos, Under the Volcano, September 1, 1999
The last of the empreintes DIGITALes CDs to be discussed this issue is Daniel Leduc’s expansive and truly beautiful, Le voyage d’hiver. Unlike the other releases discussed here, Leduc’s work integrates spoken text within its delicate electroacoustic fabric. The 26 part Die Winterreise, the major work presented here, is a deeply moving meditation on the passage of life, based on the poems of Wilhelm Müller. Through Leduc’s beautifully precise sonic constructions, the text comes to life. The composer’s use of environmental sounds, synthesizers, voice and extensive processing lends textural richness to his work, imbuing it with a rare organic beauty.