To Folkmar Hein

Part of the sound materials of this piece comes from recordings made in the apartment of Folkmar Hein, the sponsor of this work. These many and various materials (grandfather clock, sliding doors, dish noises, thumps on various pieces of furniture, coffee machine, ancient scales, food processor, heating system, gas stove, range hoods, shawm, zither, refrigerator, birds heard from the balcony, as well as the bells of the Rathaus Schöneberg) can be perceived with a very special colour for the dedicatee of this piece. I completed this list by integrating to it a multitude of concrete sounds, and I also tried to breathe poetry into this everyday universe to carry it to far-away imaginary worlds of blacks and reds.

[v-15]

Les lointains noirs et rouges [The Distant Blacks and Reds] was realized in 2008-09 in the studios of the Technische Universität (TU) in Berlin (Germany) and at the composer’s studio in Montréal. The work premiered on January 25, 2009 during the Ultraschall festival at the Haus des Rundfunks (Berlin, Germany). It was commissioned by Folkmar Hein. Thanks to Folkmar Hein, and Ingrid Beirer. The work was awarded the Special mention Musiques & Recherches at the 4th Destellos Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2011).

Composition

• 2008 – 2009, Elektronisches Studios — Technische Universität Berlin (TU), Berlin (Germany)

Premiere

• January 25, 2009, Ultraschall 2009: Das Elektronische Studio der TU Berlin, Großer Sendesaal des rbb — Haus des Rundfunks, Berlin (Germany)

Awards

• Special Mention Musiques & Recherches, Fixed medium, 4th Destellos Competition 2011, Mar del Plata (Argentina)

About this sound recording

Remixed by the composeer in 2015.

Mixing

• 2009, Personal studio, Montréal (Québec)

Remixing

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)

Inspired freely by The Glass Bead Game, a novel by Hermann Hesse (1887-1962).

To celebrate the 60th birthday of musique concrète, I decided to stick closely to the spirit of the origins, so I opted to use concrete sources almost exclusively, and to apply very light treatments — if any — to them.

This piece was realized in 32 tracks and designed to tap into the possibilities offered by a triple playback system consisting of the Wave Field Synthesis (WFS), the GRM’s Acousmonium (Paris, France), and a mini-dome similar to the one found at the ZKM (Karlsruhe, Germany).

— Gilles Gobeil [English translation: François Couture, v-15]

Castalie [Castalia] was realized in 2008 in the studios of Technische Universität (TU) in Berlin (Germany). It was premiered on July 31, 2008 during SMC08. The piece was commissioned by DAAD. Thanks to Folkmar Hein, and Ingrid Beirer. Castalie was awarded the 1st prize at the 2009 Black & White Audiovisual Festival in Porto (Portugal), and a Mention at the 36th Bourges International Electroacoustic Music and Sound Art Competition (France, 2009).

Composition

• 2008, Elektronisches Studios — Technische Universität Berlin (TU), Berlin (Germany)

Premiere

• July 31, 2008, SMC 2008: Concert, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

Awards

• Best Sound Work Prize, Festival Black & White 2009, Porto (Portugal)
• Mention, Work of Programme Music Prize, 36th Bourges International Electroacoustic Music and Sound Art Competition 2009, Bourges (Cher, France)

About this sound recording

Remixed by the composeer in 2015.

Remixing

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)

The Bol (Bowl) is a stunning musical instrument invented by Jean-François Laporte; it produces weird menacing sounds. The Hydra is the mythical monster whose heads would grow back when they were chopped off. To put it simply, I attempted a graft between these two curiosities. Most of the sounds used in this piece come from the instrument.

— Gilles Gobeil [English translation: François Couture, v-15]

Bol-Hydre [Bowl-Hydra] was realized in 2011 at the composer’s studio in Montréal and premiered on June 5, 2011 at the concert Les totems électriques III in the Studio multimédia du Conservation de musique de Montréal. The piece was commissioned by Productions Totem contemporain, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). Thanks to Jean-François Laporte. Bol-Hydre was awarded the 2nd prize at the 5th Destellos Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2012).

Composition

• 2011, Personal studio, Montréal (Québec)

Premiere

• June 5, 2011, Totem électrique: Les totems électriques III, Studio multimédia — Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

• 2nd prize Phonos, Fixed medium, 5th Destellos Competition 2012, Mar del Plata (Argentina)

About this sound recording

Remixed by the composeer in 2015.

Remixing

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)

A free interpretation of Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid, where Aeneas interrogates the Cumaean Sibyl to learn how to descend into the underworld.

— Gilles Gobeil [English translation: François Couture, v-15]

Sibylle [Sibyl] was realized in 2010 at the composer’s studio in Montréal, and premiered on June 25, 2010 as part of a portrait concert at Franz Liszt School of Music Weimar (Germany). Sibylle is adapted from a more ambitious project, Effraction de l’oubli for butoh dance, by choreographer/dancer Camille Mutel. Thanks to Camille Mutel (recorded voice symbolizing the Sibyl). Sibylle was awarded a mention in the Concurso Internacional de Composição Electroacústica Música Viva (Lisbon, Portugal 2015).

Composition

• 2010, Personal studio, Montréal (Québec)

Premiere

• June 25, 2010, Porträtkonzert, Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar, Weimar (Thüringen, Germany)

Awards

• Mention, Concurso Internacional de Composição Electroacústica Música Viva 2015, Parede (Portugal)

About this sound recording

Remixed by the composeer in 2015.

Remixing

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)

Inspired freely by the novel The Golem by Gustav Meyrink (1868-1932).

This piece is designed to be fully “played” by a percusionist on a malletKAT (a marimba-like MIDI instrument) controling a sampler.

— Gilles Gobeil [English translation: François Couture, v-15]

Golem was realized in November and December 2012 at the Laboratório Electroacústico de Criação (Lab for Electroacoustic Creation, LEC) of Miso Music Portugal in Lisbon (Portugal) and in July 2013 at EMS (Stockholm, Sweden). It was premiered on March 22, 2014 by Rick Sacks during the concert Rick Sacks Solo Electronic Show presented at The Array Space in Toronto (Canada). The piece was commissioned by Rick Sacks with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). Thanks to Rick Sacks, Miguel Azguime, Mats Lindström, and jef chippewa.

Composition

• November – December 2012, Lab for Electroacoustic Creation — Miso Music Portugal — Miso Music Portugal, Lisbon (Portugal)

Premiere

• March 22, 2014, Rick Sacks, malletKAT • Rick Sacks Solo Electronic Show, Array Space, Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Awards

• Finalist, Category A (fixed medium), Musica Nova 2016, Prague (Czech Republic)

About this sound recording

This recording is a version without performer and was produced in 2015 in the composer’s studio.

Recording

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)

A modest tribute to composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886), whose bicentennial was celebrated in 2011.

— Gilles Gobeil [English translation: François Couture, v-15]

Des temps oubliés [Of Times Forgotten] was realized at the studios of the GRM in Paris (France) in July and August 2012 and premiered on January 26, 2013 as part of the Multiphonies series presented by the Ina-GRM at the Auditorium Saint-Germain of the MPAA (Paris, France). The piece was commissioned by the Ina-GRM, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). Thanks to Christian Zanési, Robin Minard, and François Couture (piano). Des temps oubliés was awarded a Honorable Mention at the Monaco International Electroacoustic Composition Competition (CICEM, 2014), and was a finalist at the 1st Klang! International Electroacoustic Composition Competition (Montpellier, France, 2014).

Composition

• July – August 2012, Groupe de recherches musicales – Institut national de l’audiovisuel (Ina-GRM), Paris (France)

Premiere

• January 26, 2013, Multiphonies 2012-13: Akousma 4, Auditorium Saint-Germain — MPAA, Paris (France)

Awards

• Honorable Mention, Fixed medium, 2014 Monaco International Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Monaco (Monaco)

About this sound recording

Remixed by the composeer in 2015.

Remixing

• 2015, Personal studio, Drummondville (Québec)