Islands

Barry Truax - Islands

Some information about the tracks from the liner notes:

Pacific Fanfare (1996)

It is comprised of ten soundmarks recorded by the WSP (World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University) in the Vancouver area either from the early 1970s or more recently, and thus reflects the changing soundscape of the city. The various sound signals are heard both in their original state, and digitally resonated and time-stretched in order to let them "resonate" in our own memories.

Pendlerdrøm (1997) (or "Commuterdream")

...a soundscape composition that recreates a commuter's trip home from the Central Train Station in Copenhagen. At two points, one in the station and the other on the train, the commuter lapses into a daydream in which the sounds that were only half heard in the station return to reveal their musical qualities.

La Sera di Benevento (1999) (or "Afternoon in Benevento")

...a soundscape composition based on environmental sounds from the town of Benevento, Italy, situated near Napoli. In particular, I imagined a hot, drowsy afternoon where the sounds of cicadas, a fountain and the local churchbell lull the listener into a reverie where these sounds mingle with a half-remembered lyric poem by the 14th century poet Giovanni Boccaccio.

Dominion (1991) (accompanied by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra)

...may be called a meditation on the Canadian nation in that it involves the listener in an east-to-west journey across the country. In each region it is 12 noon, starting with the noon gun in St. John's harbour, Newfoundland, followed by various foghorns and other whistles. In the long second section depicting the vast expanse of central Canada and its founding Anglophone and Francophone cultures, the noon chimes and hour bell of the Peace Tower in Ottawa are played out in counterpoint against the bells of the Basilica in Quebec City. The ubiquitous E-flat minor triad of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) train horn connects the various sections, just as the transcontinental railway was instrumental in unifying the country.

Island (2000)

...is a 16 track soundscape composition that blends acoustic environmental sounds with processed versions of the same sounds. The result is a visit to an imaginary island embued with magical realism, beginning at the shoreline, proceeding up a rapidly flowing stream, visiting a resonant cistern, climbing to the windy peak of a mountain lake, descending again through a nightime forest of crickets, and ending at a different shoreline.

Tracklisting:

1. Pacific Fanfare {3:05}

2. Pendlerdrøm {12:07}

3. La Sera di Benevento {10:08}

4. Dominion {18:46}

5. Island {19:01}

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